Tommy Berry (Jockey), Dame Giselle
Dame Giselle affirmed her status as one of the stars of her generation at first asking for the new racing season with a slick display to win the AUD200,000 G2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick (Australia) over the weekend.
The G2 Silver Shadow Stakes is the first of four legs of the lucrative ATC Darley Princess Series and the China Horse Club bred and co-owned filly will now be given her chance to make the racing series her own.
The triumph carried Dame Giselle’s prize money to almost AUD1,000,000 from only seven race starts – a heady and prompt return for CHC and fellow co-owner Sir Owen Glenn who secured her at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for AUD500,000.
“It’s a relief when they return as three-year-olds and win,” said Dame Giselle’s co-trainer Paul Snowden post-race.
“It is good to see [Dame Giselle] train on after a tough two-year-old season.”
Dame Giselle was making her first appearance since the Sydney Autumn Carnival where she franked herself among the best juvenile fillies in the land. A game win in the G2 Reisling Stakes last March cemented her status before a fighting seventh in the G1 Golden Slipper, when she was the third filly over the line, marked her as elite.
There are a further three legs of the Darley Princess Series which draws the very best fillies together from all over Australia. The following three legs are:
- AUD200,000 G2 Furious Stakes (1200m)
- AUD200,000 G2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m)
- AUD500,000 G1 Flight Stakes (1600m)
CHC enjoyed success in the final two legs of the series in 2014 with its former star filly First Seal. The back-to-back successes crowned her ascent in a career that netted AUD1.3 million in prize money. Since retirement, First Seal has immediately emerged as a high-profile broodmare for CHC. Her first yearling topped the 2020 Easter Yearling Sales.
In winning Saturday’s G2 Silver Shadow Stakes CHC, as the successful breeder, was also gifted a free nomination by Darley to its world champion sprinter and now sire Harry Angel. The explosive sprinter is the daughter of CHC’s champion broodmare Beatrix Potter.
On Saturday, Dame Giselle made her own luck under the astute handling of star rider Tommy Berry. The three-year-old beginning brilliantly to take the lead, allowing Berry to dictate the race from the front. In the straight, as rivals launched their bids for victory, she parried them away to score a narrow but decisive win.
“It was not our intention to sort of be that far forward” Snowden continued. “Obviously, there was a lot of speed drawn inside us. But she jumped as well as she did and Tommy had a nice run in front. It’s not her go but she was too good in the end. Class comes to the top.
Dame Giselle trailing at the inner rail
“[Dame Giselle] has a good campaign in front of her and she is not screwed right down now. Just that easy section she was afforded mid-race certainly helped.”
Berry was positive in his assessment of Dame Giselle who he was partnering for the second time under race conditions.
“[Dame Giselle] has not got a brilliant turn of foot on her but she really stays out her ground pretty well. I always felt like when Kerrin [jockey Kerrin McEvoy on runner-up Thermosphere] was coming at me late that [Dame Giselle] had the race won,” Berry said post-race.
“I guess we won it in the first 150m when she jumped so well. I was meant to take cover on her but I took advantage of a good start, she got across comfortably and got some cheap sectionals mid-race.
“Today was only just a stepping stone for her. She had a decent blow today. Her first trial was very quiet and the second trial we did not do a heap on her either so there was always going to be plenty of improvement out of today. She will definitely improve as the distances go on.
“She is definitely stronger. Last time she felt more like a sprinter to me when I was riding her. She feels like she will get over further which will assist her well.”
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