Two graduates from the breeze-up sales at Sydney and Karaka in 2020 have made quick progression to the winner’s stall with victories in the two 2-year-old races at Ballarat on Sunday.
The Patrick Payne-trained filly Douceur (No Nay Never {USA}) finished powerfully to win the Bartlett Blinds 2YO Mdn Plate over 1110 metres on the Heavy 8 surface.
Douceur was a $125,000 purchase out of the Inglis 2020 Ready2Race Sale in Sydney, when bought by Andrew Williams Bloodstock on behalf of the Tait family from the draft of Riverrock Farm.
Douceur as a 2-year-old
Riverrock’s Chad Ormsby had paid $80,000 for her from the draft of Maluka Thoroughbreds at the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. She was initially sourced from her breeders at Morning Rise Stud for $52,000 as a weanling at the 2019 Inglis Great Southern Sale.
On pedigree and on her debut performance, she looks a filly capable of getting out over distance in time. Her dam, Danalicious (Zabeel {NZ}) is a multiple stakes-winning stayer Northwest Passage (So You Think {NZ}), while the extended family includes Group 1 winner Summer Passage (Snitzel) as well as stakes winners Shania Dane (Danehill {USA}), Scintillation (Danehill {USA}) and Risk Aversion (Encosta De Lago).
She is the 14th Australian winner for No Nay Never (USA), who shuttled to Australia for four seasons, and the second winner from his second Australian crop.
It shouldn’t be her last win, after she impressed with the way in which she quickened on the Heavy ground. Given a patient ride by Michelle Payne, Douceur trailed the field coming into the straight, but was brought to outside and finished home very well. She chased down Under The Dunes (Under The Louvre) who looked the winner for much of the straight, but in the end, was beaten by 0.5l.
The James Cummings-trained Tonquani (Reset) finished another 2.25l back in third.
Article courtesy of TDN Aus/NZ
