Amelia’s Jewel returned to the form that elevated her to Group 1 stardom with a dominant victory in the G2 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The Amelia Park homebred was racing first-up yesterday and broke through going clockwise following a winless 2024 in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
It was her first win under the tutelage of trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald and overall the 10th in 22 starts for owner-breeder Peter Walsh. It also sent her prizemoney through $4 million including Westspeed Bonuses of $47,300.
Amelia’s Jewel relished the unaccustomed role of front-runner for James McDonald before going further head in the straight to score by over a length from Ausbred Flirt (Maurice) and Tashi (Sebring).
“It was a really impressive return to the races,” Archibald said. “She put the writing on the wall in her trials and it was a great ride by James. He controlled things in the lead and rode her like the best horse in the race.”
The 5yo Siyouni (Fr) mare had been far from disappointing despite a run of outs going back to the G3 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley in September 2023. She been runner-up in The Quokka (1200m), G3 Roma Cup (1100m), G2 Tramway Stakes (1400m), G2 Golden Pendant (1400m) and G1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).
“She had a couple of great runs and a couple of good seconds but it was frustrating not to win a race for WA,” Neasham said. “She’s got plenty of improvement to come and it’s onwards and upwards now.”
A Group 1 winner of the Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot in December 2022, she will return to elite-level company in the G1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill in a fortnight. Bookmakers reacted by firming the Amelia Park mare into a $3.50 second favourite behind yesterday’s G1 Surround Stakes (1400m) winner Lady Shanandoah ($2.65).
The G1 Queen Of The Turf (1600m) is another autumn target and she has opened at $11 for that big-ticket assignment at Randwick on April 12.
Her younger half-brother Bosustow (Blue Point) rubber-stamped a stallion career at Rosemont Stud in Victoria winning the RL Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast in January and running second in the G1 BCD Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa last month.
Their dam Bumbasina (Canford Cliffs) had a Siyouni (Fr) yearling colt sell to Ascot trainer Luke Fernie for $625,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions in January. She delivered another Siyouni (Fr) conceived to southern-hemisphere time when foaling a filly in September.
Amelia Park sold a half-dozen yearlings at the Perth Magic Millions last month topped a $100,000 bid from Vern Brockman for a Dundeel – Yu (Lot 166) filly related to Champion Australian 3YO Filly Alinghi (Encosta de Lago).
Peter Walsh also entered a Farnan – Amelia’s la Bout filly (Lot 28) through Segenhoe Stud at this (Sunday) morning’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale and she was purchased by Mitch Freedman for $140,000.
The up-and-coming Ballarat conditioner was playing with a tasty percentage after training Skybird (Exosphere) to a stunning Group 1 victory in the $1 million Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on February 15.
Peter Walsh was on Cloud 9
So happy she’s our champ