A long-term plan to upgrade China Horse Club’s broodmare band has started on a positive note with debutant Meod becoming the second winner in less than a week in the club’s red and yellow silks.
Meod scored a facile win in the AUD40,000 Elimination Against Violence Maiden Plate (1000m) at first asking, joining recent winner Ponca who has already built a record of one win and a second from only five outings.
“China Horse Club has assembled a high-quality portfolio of stallion interests in Australia and it has continued to actively invest to refresh and improve its broodmare band to support the likes of Extreme Choice, Russian Revolution and Zoustar,” said Mike Smith, China Horse Club’s Australasian Representative.
“A few years ago, we decided to actively target premium fillies from the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Three fillies were secured and Meod is the second of the three to graduate as a winner, Ponca was the first, she won five days earlier, and Princess Discreet is in New Zealand with Andrew Forsman and should step out early in the new year.”
Meod as a yearling
Meod, owned in partnership with her breeder Kia Ora Stud, looks to have her share of ability. The daughter of champion sire Exceed and Excel, jumped well from her inside barrier to lead. She showed some inexperience when overracing a touch under jockey Tom Sherry, but in the straight she flattened out in encouraging fashion to win with something in hand.
“It was a very encouraging debut, especially off only one trial,” Smith added.
“Meod did show promise in that trial and she franked that here at Wyong. We will see how she comes out of it and talk with [trainer] Michael Freedman as to what the next step with her is. It is certainly an encouraging start for these fillies and Meod in particular.”
Meod is from a deep family U.S. family. She is a daughter of American graded stakes winner Heart Ashley and a three-quarter sister to stakes winner Fiano Romano and stakes placed Ameristralia.
Ponca, also trained by Freedman, is a half-sister to G1 winner and sire Foxwedge as well as listed winning heroine She’s A Fox. The unraced Princess Discreet is a half-sister to Believe Yourself who scored in the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes on her way to running fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper.
Ponca saluted in maiden company in Gosford and will be steered either towards midweek company in Sydney or potentially the Listed Mode Stakes in Brisbane early next month.
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