Bonny filly Members Joy gave her Thousand Guineas hopes a major boost at Flemington on Saturday when she cruised to victory in the listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes (1100m).
A daughter in internationally proven sire Hussonet, Members Joy appreciated getting on a firmer track and she did the job for her legion of owners.
Purchased by Swettenham Stud’s Adam Sangster for $85,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Members Joy is raced in lease by a large group of members of the Melbourne Racing Club.
Trainer Robert Smerdon said the quality three-year-old filly would now be given her chance at one of the spring carnival’s feature events for fillies – won last year by unbeaten champion Atlantic Jewel.
“We might go to the Thousand Guineas Prelude in two weeks or something like that,” Smerdon said.
“Her pedigree suggests it could be just sprint (trips) but Nick thought the way she trialled that she would relax and go further.”
The filly was racing for the second time this preparation. She failed to flatter first up, failing to handle the track in the Quezette Stakes at Caulfield last month.
“She couldn’t go there,” he said. “She just got anchored in the track. It was just bottomless.”
Winning rider Nicholas Hall was impressed with the acceleration shown by Members Joy when called up over the concluding stages of the straight track dash.
“Being back on top of the ground obviously helped her,” Hall said.
“She had been working well at home so I knew where she was at.”
“I reckon she’ll be better over 1400 metres to 1600 metres. If she gets out to a mile and shows a turn of foot like that, Robert can expect big things.”
“The winkers definitely worked. She seems to get lost in her races for no apparent reason. It’s not a bad attitude trait to have going out to these longer distances,” Hall summed up.
Members Joy hails from a quality black type filled family.
The filly is the only named foal to date for the group winning Flying Spur mare Rosa’s Spur, a daughter in turn of the group winning juvenile Rosa’s Joy. Rosa’s Spur is a half sister to the Talindert Stakes winner Rosarino.
It is a family well known to Austraian racegoers and includes the other stakes winners Rosa’s Image, Cohort, Rosa’s Path and the kiwi stakes winner Occidentalis.
Members Joy is the 84th individual stakes winner for Hussonet – the now Cornerstone Stud based son of Mr. Prospector.
Winner: Members Joy
Breeding: Hussonet-Rosa’s Spur (Flying Spur)
Race: VRC Cap D’Antibes Stakes LR (1100m)
Sold for: $85,000
Sale: 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Vendor: Arrowfield Stud (As Agent)
Buyer: Adam Sangster
Earnings: $139,325
Owner(s): MRC Members Horse Club (Mgr: JB Rodder)
Trainer: Robert Smerdon (Caulfield)
Photos: Magic Millions
