Janine Dunlop was celebrating after the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes, despite the Group One feature not delivering the result the Phoenix Park principal had been expecting.
"One of my clients, Terry Archer, had La Bella Diosa in so I was principally watching her," she said.
The New Zealand-trained filly floundered in the Rosehill mud on Saturday and it was instead left to two graduates of Phoenix Park's 2015 NZB Premier Yearling Sale draft to fight out the finish.
In a race marred by interference, it was the High Chaparral filly Montoya's Secret who held out the late-finishing daughter of Savabeel, Nurse Kitchen.
"It was a fantastic result, and so exciting," Dunlop said.
While both fillies were catalogued to sell at Karaka, only Montoya's Secret went through the ring, with Nurse Kitchen being withdrawn the day before the sale.
"Montoya's Secret was bred by Rosemont Stud so it was great to get the result for Anthony Mithen," Dunlop said of the $130,000 yearling buy.
The Group One result also provided further proof that the Phoenix Park class of 2015 was more than a little bit special - in particular the fillies.
In addition to the aforementioned Group One duo, the draft also included Group Two winners Samara Dancer and Gold Rush and Savabeel's Group Two placed daughter Storytime.
Another of the Savabeel progeny Rosa Carolina, who notched her second win on Saturday, has also come within inches of black type when fourth in the Listed Crockett Stakes at Moonee Valley in October and has black-type aims this campaign.
"We prepare 10 or 12 yearlings for the NZB Premier Sale each season so it is an especially good result out of that draft," Dunlop said. "It was one of the better lines of fillies I've had with lovely physical types.
"Samara Dancer was a fantastic type. We sold her half-brother too, the stakes-winning Eclair Big Bang.
"Storytime looks as though she will carry on with it. Gold Rush was So You Think's first stakes winner and her mother is obviously a good broodmare as she has left three stakes winning two-year-olds."
In addition to the fillies from the 2015 draft Dunlop has high hopes for one of the male brigade. The Cape Blanco gelding Don Blanco was a $50,000 purchase for Byerley Park-based trainer Karen Zimmerman and has showed promise in a six start career. Don Blanco has broken maiden ranks and ran fourth in the Listed Wanganui Guineas.
"He will go on to be a good older horse. He needed time and Karen has handled him so well," she said.
Dunlop was pleased with the results of her 2017 Karaka Premier Sale draft, with a top price of $400,000 an average of $232,000, along with a high clearance rate through the Premier and Select sessions. Rather than resting on her laurels, she is now looking towards the 2018 round of yearling sales and seeking expressions of interest from those wanting to be part of the Phoenix Park draft.
"We do have regular clients, but we also get a lot of people via word of mouth and recommendations," she said.
"I have a good crew around me who will be starting to work with the yearlings in July. We do work hard and it is nice to be able to get that sale ring reward, and great to see the horses go on and perform so well on the track." - NZ Racing Desk.
"One of my clients, Terry Archer, had La Bella Diosa in so I was principally watching her," she said.
The New Zealand-trained filly floundered in the Rosehill mud on Saturday and it was instead left to two graduates of Phoenix Park's 2015 NZB Premier Yearling Sale draft to fight out the finish.
In a race marred by interference, it was the High Chaparral filly Montoya's Secret who held out the late-finishing daughter of Savabeel, Nurse Kitchen.
"It was a fantastic result, and so exciting," Dunlop said.
While both fillies were catalogued to sell at Karaka, only Montoya's Secret went through the ring, with Nurse Kitchen being withdrawn the day before the sale.
"Montoya's Secret was bred by Rosemont Stud so it was great to get the result for Anthony Mithen," Dunlop said of the $130,000 yearling buy.
The Group One result also provided further proof that the Phoenix Park class of 2015 was more than a little bit special - in particular the fillies.
In addition to the aforementioned Group One duo, the draft also included Group Two winners Samara Dancer and Gold Rush and Savabeel's Group Two placed daughter Storytime.
Another of the Savabeel progeny Rosa Carolina, who notched her second win on Saturday, has also come within inches of black type when fourth in the Listed Crockett Stakes at Moonee Valley in October and has black-type aims this campaign.
"We prepare 10 or 12 yearlings for the NZB Premier Sale each season so it is an especially good result out of that draft," Dunlop said. "It was one of the better lines of fillies I've had with lovely physical types.
"Samara Dancer was a fantastic type. We sold her half-brother too, the stakes-winning Eclair Big Bang.
"Storytime looks as though she will carry on with it. Gold Rush was So You Think's first stakes winner and her mother is obviously a good broodmare as she has left three stakes winning two-year-olds."
In addition to the fillies from the 2015 draft Dunlop has high hopes for one of the male brigade. The Cape Blanco gelding Don Blanco was a $50,000 purchase for Byerley Park-based trainer Karen Zimmerman and has showed promise in a six start career. Don Blanco has broken maiden ranks and ran fourth in the Listed Wanganui Guineas.
"He will go on to be a good older horse. He needed time and Karen has handled him so well," she said.
Dunlop was pleased with the results of her 2017 Karaka Premier Sale draft, with a top price of $400,000 an average of $232,000, along with a high clearance rate through the Premier and Select sessions. Rather than resting on her laurels, she is now looking towards the 2018 round of yearling sales and seeking expressions of interest from those wanting to be part of the Phoenix Park draft.
"We do have regular clients, but we also get a lot of people via word of mouth and recommendations," she said.
"I have a good crew around me who will be starting to work with the yearlings in July. We do work hard and it is nice to be able to get that sale ring reward, and great to see the horses go on and perform so well on the track." - NZ Racing Desk.