Montjeu increased his stakes winner tally to 86 on Friday when NZ bred mare Montahlia landed the Listed Werribee Cup.  

Montjeu sired the Werribee Cup winner in his second crop at Windsor Park and she had gone through the classes at Ballarat, Sale and Moonee Valley (3) before winning at Listed level in Friday.

The win was a $63,000 consolation for the Mick Kent trained mare who has missed the last two Adelaide Cup through injury.  “She missed a bit of work with muscle soreness so we decided against going to Adelaide,” Kent said.  “It had been five weeks between runs but she stays so well.”

Montahlia (7m Montjeu – Zatsalady by Zabeel) is an older half-sister to NZ stakes performer Senor Zorro (Pins).  She failed to reach an $80,000 reserve set by Monovale Farm at the 2005 Gold Coast Magic Millions.  Her half-sister by Lucky Unicorn didn’t make a $10,000 at the NZ Bloodstock Select Sale last month.  

Kent is confident Montahlia can back up in the $100,000 Moonee Valley Stayers Challenge Final (3000m) next Friday night.  “There’s not much to her.  She’s only a light mare but is very tough.”

Montjeu shuttled from Coolmore to Windsor Park for four seasons until 2004.  Coolmore exchanged him for High Chaparral who rewrote the record books during his spell in New Zealand.

Inevitably, Coolmore transferred High Chaparral to its Hunter Valley base last year and replaced him at Windsor Park with Champion European 2YO Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer).