Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
A pair of Pencarrow Stud homebreds are on target for a dual classic attack during the Brisbane winter carnival.
The progressive Tomodachi carries the familiar silks of farm principal Sir Peter Vela, who also bred and shares in the ownership of another last-start winner in Waikato Girl.
Both fillies are likely contenders for the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) with the former a daughter of Tarzino, who completed a hat-trick of wins for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The Michael Freedman-prepared Waikato Girl was successful for the second time in seven appearances when the Savabeel three-year-old claimed the Listed Princess Stakes (1600m) at Eagle Farm at her most recent outing.
Tomodachi put forward a compelling case for a trip to Brisbane with her weekend victory over 1600m.
“That’s on the table now and it looks the logical next step, assuming she’s doing well,” Pencarrow Stud Manager Leon Casey said.
“She has got all the good attributes that the top horses in her family have, mainly the ability to accelerate.
“She has coped with the wet tracks in the lower grades, but we do think she will be a lot better on top of the ground.”
There is also a family history of success in Brisbane with third dam Ethereal an Oaks winner before later claiming Group One honours in the Melbourne Cup (3200m), Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the BMW Stakes (2400m).
Tomodachi is out of the High Chaparral mare Quintessentially, a three-time winning daughter of the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up Uberalles.
“The family has been really active with a lot of nice horses coming through and fresh black type,” Casey said.
“Tomodachi was always going to be retained, she’s a lovely type.
“The mare has got a Vadamos filly being broken in, a Hello Youmzain yearling colt and she’s in foal to Sword Of State.”
Waikato Girl was purchased out of Pencarrow’s 2022 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by agent Michael Wallace for $600,000 on behalf of the Boston-based Kuldeep Singh Rajput’s Gandharvi operation.
“She made very good money and we kept a piece of her and she’ll also be a Queensland Oaks contender,” Casey said.
Waikato Girl is out of the Irish-bred Galileo mare Scintillula, who won the Gr.3 Meld Stakes (1800m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Moyglare Stud Stakes (1400m).
She subsequently ran fourth in three starts for Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie before retirement and has also produced Waikato Girl’s Group-performed sister Butter Chicken.
Half-sister Stella Splendida, by Zoustar, won on four occasions for Te Akau while Scintillula’s Savabeel colt, the unraced Tempestry, was purchased by Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster for $230,000 at Karaka last year.
The mare has since produced a daughter and son of Savabeel and is in foal to champion stallion Proisir. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
