Winner: Le Plunge (Tobougg-Ski Lodge)
Race: WATC Champion Fillies Stakes G3 (1600m)
Passed for: $9,000
Sale: 2008 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
Vendor: Anita Vale Stud
Reserve: $10,000
Earnings: $177,300
Owner(s): Anita Vale Stud Syndicate (Mgr: RJM Anderson)
Trainer: Adam Durrant (Lark Hill)
Le Plunge sent her broodmare value soaring as she led home a Magic Millions trifecta result in Saturday’s $175,000 Group Three WA Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m) at Ascot.
Rounding out a big day for leading Lark Hill trainer Adam Durrant on his 29th birthday, Le Plunge led from go to whoa in an impressive front running performance.
In the run to the line Le Plunge ($31) held a two and a quarter length margin over Impressive Jeuney ($5t).
Another length and a half back in third place was the last start stakes winner For Your Eyes Only ($2.50 fav).
The result was a complete domination job for Magic Millions graduates with the first six horses past the post all graduates of the company.
And it wasn’t the only race on the day dominated by Magic Millions graduates. Seven of the eight winners on the card had the Magic Millions stamp.
Boom Mungrup Stud sire Oratorio notched a double headlined by the outstanding return win of unbeaten juvenile Motion Pictures in the day’s two-year-old event.
While seven Magic Millions graduates impressed at the Ascot meeting, it was Le Plunge and her connections who were the big winners on the day.
“Over the winter we got this filly running and she was very consistent,” Durrant said. “She ran behind some pretty handy horses sometimes.”
“She was always the chopping block and always a little bit unlucky. She always kept giving for us.
“Her first up run was excellent over 1000. And second up the other day she beat all the fillies home and that was the plan to give her three weeks into that race and then back up into this.”
“I said to Clint (Harvey, winning rider) don’t be worried to lead. Impressive Jeuney is there and they’re always trying to lead with it and it’s by Jeune and to me when the Jeune’s get a bit older they lose a bit of that early dash.”
“And this filly has always pretty much been able to jump first and I said if you were able to cross quick they (Impressive Jeuney) would have no other option than to sit behind us from barrier one.”
“That’s what happened. He dictated and rode her nice and got the money.”
“She’s very consistent. Some horses come out and win one week and get flogged the next – but she is always there and doing her best.”
“During the week her work had been good and her gallop on Thursday was spot on without being exceptional.”
Durrant said the future looked good for the Tobougg filly as connections will now send the filly on an Oaks preparation.
“She can stick. She doesn’t have to lead. We have been able to come from behind and run well.”
“This is the race we’d set her for and perhaps the Natasha (Stakes)”
Le Plunge sent her earnings past $177,000 with the win – not bad considering she could have been yours for a mere $10,000 at the 2008 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
A daughter of the Barathea’s Dewhurst Stakes winning sire son Tobougg, Le Plunge is the first named foal from her dam Ski Lodge.
A Sydney winning daughter of Grand Lodge, Ski Lodge was a smart three-year-old and she finished fourth in the Group Three Adrian Knox Stakes.
She hails from the family of the former champion international performer and prominent sire Falbrav – a winner of 13 races across Europe as well as in Japan and Hong Kong.
