US businessman John Stewart, who narrowly missed out on acquiring a Winx filly two years ago, later secured another highly-credentialled yearling from the same Inglis Easter Sale. Stewart was the underbidder on a $10 million Winx filly, purchased by the champion mare’s owner Debbie Kepitis, but he successfully acquired six other yearlings. Among them was an I Am Invincible filly from Group 1 winner Booker, costing $3 million.
Ernaux, as the filly was named, required seven attempts to break her maiden in midweek races and a further ten starts to achieve her first Saturday metropolitan win. However, her breakthrough in this grade occurred impressively at Randwick.
With jockey Tyler Schiller in the saddle, Ernaux ($4.20 fav) settled towards the rear of the field. Navigating through traffic in the home straight, she found a late gap and surged clear to win by 1-3/4 lengths from the closing Mareth ($4.60).
Trainer Chris Waller commented on the thrilling finish, saying, “It was hold-your-breath stuff at the top of the straight.” He added, “Tyler, he knew what he was doing. He knew what he had under him, and she really exploded late.”
Waller further elaborated on the filly’s performance, noting, “Her form has been terrible on wet tracks. As soon as she had a better track last start, and again today, she’s a different horse. There is certainly something there. She’s very well bred, so we’ll see what’s around the corner.”
Despite Ernaux’s significant purchase price, Waller confirmed that her ownership group, which includes Stewart’s Resolute Racing and Coolmore, had placed no pressure on the horse. Her victory in the Toyota Forklifts Handicap (1200m) on Saturday not only secured valuable black-type points but also may extend the four-year-old’s racing career.
“They’re fantastic to train for, and it’s good to see she’s won a good Saturday race for them,” Waller stated. “It was getting borderline whether we breed from her. That will give us a bit of confidence.”
Meanwhile, the Winx filly by Pierro, named Quinceanera, was retired to stud without a race.
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