Champion Thoroughbreds | Champion Thoroughbreds News 59447 Stakes Win For Talented Filly Lilac

via The Thoroughbred Report

Lilac (Justify {USA}) made her Melbourne debut on Saturday in the Listed Jim Maloney S. at Caulfield, and the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained filly kicked a length clear with less than a furlong to go, but Chris Waller trained Delichy Boulevard (Snitzel) was closing rapidly from further back and the two hit the line together with Lilac winning by 0.15l.

The Thoroughbred Report spoke with Jason Abrahams of Champion Thoroughbreds, who co-purchased Lilac for NZ$300,000 at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, to find out what he loved about her. She was purchased in conjunction with Annabel Neasham Racing.

“I thought she’d be too dear to start with. Physically she’s got a lovely deep girth, looks very much like a Danehill-line filly, she’s out of sister to Foxwedge, and looked more like a Fastnet Rock than anything,” said Abrahams.

An unbeaten Triple Crown winner, Justify (USA), who shuttled between Coolmore’s Australian and American farms siring 37 stakes winners with his oldest crops only four. With horses like City Of Troy (USA) in Europe, and now heading to the Breeders’ Cup, and Storm Boy and Learning To Fly in Australia, Justify has earned the right to be called a successful sire.

“Coolmore were selling her through Curraghmore, they suggested she’d make a lot of money, and I said I wasn’t in the market at that (price) point. Annabel (Neasham) liked her too so I talked to Rob (Archibald) and we worked out a price, then Coolmore stayed in for a quarter too. We were delighted that she came in at our budget.

“I just hadn’t seen a Justify that looked like her. The rest looked a bit American, more dirt orientated, but Lilac has that lovely angle and depth of girth and more like we are used to in terms of grass racing. She stood out from that perspective.”

Her dam, Paulownia (Fastnet Rock), is a full sister to Group 1 winner and sire Foxwedge and to Listed winner She’s a Fox.

Lilac's ownership group brings together a wide array of global industry participants.

“A friend of mine, Jason Litt, is a bloodstock agent in America. He was at the sale and he has been exposed to a lot of Justifys in America. He has a big client, the Roth family who race under L N J Foxwoods banner, and they eventually took 20 per cent.

“A school friend, Byron Rogers, does a lot of analytics on yearling videos and he ran her yearling video through his software and it came out with excellent metrics, so he had his dad buy 10 per cent. Then we sold a few small shares through our client base, and Annabel sold her quarter (to her clients).

“It’s our first purchase with Annabel and it’s nice that it’s come to a stakes win.”

Lilac had two trials as a December 2-year-old, winning one of them, then returned in late February and early March for two more trials, again winning one of them. She debuted at Randwick-Kensington in a 2-year-old maiden over 1000 metres on March 13, running fourth.

“Her last prep she only had one start. It was her first start, and we were expecting big things but she didn’t finish off, so we tipped her out then.”

She had another couple of trials in late July and early August, running third in both, before having her first run at three at Wyong in a 1200 metre maiden on August 18, which she won by 0.75l for jockey James McDonald.

Next, she went to Warwick Farm for a mid-week BM64 race over 1200 metres and was beaten 0.3l by Private Life (Written Tycoon) into second with the same filly who ran second on Saturday in the Jim Maloney, Delichy Boulevard (Snitzel), running third that day.

“She won well first-up and looked good second up. I probably erred on side of caution in sending her to a mid-week first. Annabel was pushing to go straight to Melbourne for a stakes race, then she ran second to a colt who looks promising (Private Life). I was trying to be conservative, but I probably cost her some black type.”

For her fourth start, Abraham listened to Neasham’s advice and Lilac went to Melbourne for the Listed Jim Maloney S. “This time I said, ‘Let’s do it’ and we took her down early to prepare her.”

What’s next for Lilac? “She’s lightened off from the trip. So, we’ll let her mature a bit and give her a nice 6-8 week break and bring her back for the autumn.”

Congratulations to her team of owners Chimaera Racing, Mr D J Kelly, Thug Thoroughbreds, L N J Foxwoods, J E Abrahams Pty Ltd, Dr C M Rogers, RKH Thoroughbreds, Ms S R Smith, Coolmore, Mr T A Janssens, Loftus Park, Ursino Racing, Esquin, Hon. G J Williamson, Mr F F Fairthorne (Jnr)