Shades of the explosive pace that earned Shamexpress Group 1 success in Australia were on show at Riccarton on Saturday.

His daughter Xpressmymind flew the outside gate and then sprinted three lengths clear in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series (900m).  She had been runner-up on debut last month.

“She’s a really nice filly who hasn’t done anything wrong,” part-owner and trainer Andrew Carston said.  “It’s been a good team effort and they’re only two once so as long as she comes through this race well we’ll go again.”

Windsor Park studmaster Rodney Schick was understandably delighted and far from surprised by the result.  “Andrew had told me that she was a really smart filly,” he said.  “It’s great for Shamexpress to get that first winner under his belt.  He’s had very good books of mares and his yearlings have sold well.”

Shamexpress was a Group 1 winner of the VRC Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington, one of Australia’s most prestigious sprint races, before his retirement to the Cambridge nursery.  He is a New Zealand-bred son of O’Reilly from the Volksraad mare Volksrose.  O’Reilly was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame on Friday.

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