WS-bred win two Australian Group races in five days

From Monday through to Friday, the WS brand made its mark on Australian Group racing, with American Wolf (ex Zelitist) winning the Gr.2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) and Feminino (ex Magazine) capping the week with Group 3 success in the Kembla Grange Classic (1600m).

Racing in the Wanless colours and trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Feminino (pictured) was having just her third race start, having broken her maiden at start two over 1400m at Warwick Farm on February 4.

Given a tick-over trial between runs, the daughter of Tivaci handled the rise in both class and distance, producing a tenacious performance for Tim Clark.

After jumping from an outside gate, Feminino was caught wide throughout, but showed great toughness to the line, digging deep to win by a head in a thrilling finish.

“She’s always been held in quite high regard and after she won the other day, Gai and Adrian picked this race out for her,” said Tim Clark.

“She had to go five weeks between runs, so she had a little tick-over trial in between, but it’s still not an easy thing to do and it just goes to show the quality of the filly.

“She was wide obviously the whole way, but we went very steady, and I just sort of stoked her up coming into the turn, so I wasn’t left flat-footed when they sprinted. She just kept responding the whole way down the straight. She’s only going to improve off that performance today.

“She’ll definitely get further, and a race like the Adrian Knox (Gr.3, 2000m) could be right on her radar now, and who knows, maybe she can get an Oaks trip.”

The Kiwi-bred Feminino was purchased by Curran Bloodstock for A$320,000 from Waikato Stud at Magic Millions and now has two wins from three starts, with prizemoney in excess of A$180,000.

Bred and sold by Waikato Stud, Feminino is the first winner for the stakes-placed Savabeel mare Magazine, a granddaughter of Group 1-winning sprinter Glamour Puss.