Top Gr 1 finish for WS

25 January 2014

WS familiar silks were beaten into second place in today’s Gr 1 Thorndon Mile but there was a big slice of compensation for the Matamata farm. The Garry Chittick-bred and owned Costume (Savabeel) finished runner-up behind upset winner Touch Of Ruby, a daughter of the stud’s resident Pins.

“This is her final race and she’s in foal to Jimmy Choux and we thought if she ran in the first four it would make her worth a lot more money,” successful trainer Stephen Autridge said. “It’s what everyone dreams of and it doesn’t often happen so it’s fantastic.”

A Touch Of Ruby came from well back in the field for her fourth career victory and deny Costume victory. “I didn’t intend to be that far back and she travelled into it really well,” winning rider Craig Grylls said. “They ran it hard up front and that set it up for something to come from the back.”

Costume is a half-sister to the Listed Soliloquy Stakes winner Masquerade (No Excuse Needed) with their dam the O’Reilly mare Disguised. WS will offer a Pins filly (Lot 446) out of Disguised during the Premier Sale at Karaka next week.

Ardrossan’s Group 1-placed darling wins A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes

Second and fourth in 1600m Group 1 races in her two previous starts since being purchased privately by OTI Racing and stepping out in Australia under Chris Waller’s racing banner, De Armas (Ardrossan) stepped up in distance at Flemington on Saturday and opened her Australian account in style in the A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes (2000m) on Derby Day.

30 October 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.