Wonderfully Made
Wonderfully Made has taken a significant step toward the bigger Perth autumn prizes, producing a polished first-up win at Ascot on Wednesday and pushing herself into contention as a key carnival prospect for champion jockey William Pike.
Prepared by Dan Morton, the Playing God filly resumed over 1400m and did it with authority, scoring a stylish “hit-and-run” victory under stand-in rider Lucy Fiore while Pike enjoyed a short break in Melbourne. The performance also secured her entries for both the WA Oaks and WATC Derby, giving the stable plenty of options as her preparation unfolds.
Fiore was full of praise after the win, saying, “Wonderfully Made is on the rise and impressed today.”
China Horse Club’s Michael Smith said the filly’s return had delivered exactly what the team was hoping to see. “It was encouraging to see her deliver the first blow today and frank the stable’s opinion of her. It’s only the first step in a preparation towards better things, but she did it stylishly and we can now dream about bigger targets ahead,” Smith said.
Pike had already partnered Wonderfully Made in barrier trials before leaving Perth last week, and with “The Wizard” booked for eight rides at Saturday’s Ascot meeting, the expectation is he will reunite with the filly as she builds toward the autumn features.
Morton confirmed the stable’s confidence post-race, adding: “She carries the colours of China Horse Club… This is a beautiful filly and I’ve got a lot of time for her.” A former $250,000 Perth Magic Millions yearling purchase, Wonderfully Made is one to watch as the stakes rise across the autumn carnival.