A unique family milestone was completed at Doomben today when highly rated mare Cariad steamed home to win the listed $100,000 Nudgee Handicap (1200m).
The win was the first at black type level for talented apprentice Justin Wood and it came just hours after his younger brother Mitchell did likewise at the Sunshine Coast last night.
Mitchell scored his biggest win last night when he partnered the outsider Dalzar to a thrilling photo finish victory in the listed $100,000 Sunshine Coast Cup.
Wind the clock forward about 18 hours and it was the turn of big brother Justin to star – with a cool ride aboard Cariad being rewarded in Brisbane’s feature race over the weekend – also carrying a $100,000 purse.
Prepared by master Steele Ryan, Cariad sent her value soaring when she broke through for a valuable stakes success in emphatic style.
Ryan has for 12 months felt the lightly raced mare was a star.
“I’ve been telling people for 12 months she is the best horse I’ve trained,” he told AAP.
“You can throw in horses like Chinchilla Rose and the others. She’s the best.”
“She had a lot of problems in the head early on and it’s been a hard grind to get her right.”
“This was only her 10th start and she jumped several grades to win a listed race,” Ryan added.
Ryan said the mare would run in a similar race in a fortnight before being set for feature races during the Winter Carnival culminating with a crack at the Group One Winter Stakes in June.
A $30,000 purchase from the 2008 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, Cariad is the 16th individual stakes winner for popular Queensland based sire Sequalo.
She is a three quarter sister to her nine time winning and twice stakes performed stablemate Steel Lips – an earner of over $274,000.
Cariad is also a half sister to the South African group winner Polished Steel (King of Danes) – meaning their dam, the Sydney winning Comet Shine mare Shower of Steel is two runners for two stakes winners.
Winner: Cariad (Sequalo-Shower of Steel)
Race: BRC Nudgee Handicap LR (1200m)
Sold for $30,000
Sale: 2008 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale
Vendor: PM Ballard
Buyer: Ken Turner
Owner(s): Mrs GM Ryan, JP Ryan, Mrs RP Taylor, JC Hartmann & TR Schmidt
Earnings: $111,350
Trainer: Steele Ryan (Deagon)
PICS – Dan Costello.
