Affaire A Suivre (Astern) confirmed her potential and showed she could be a spring-staying star later this year with an impressive win in the G1 Australasian Oaks over 2,000m in Adelaide on Saturday, 29 April.
Having just her sixth start for co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Affaire A Suivre added the Oaks to her Listed Port Adelaide Guineas victory at Morphettville two weeks earlier.
Affaire A Suivre, powerfully ridden by John Allen, surged to the lead at the top of the home straight and held off She’s Fit and Jennilala to notch her second Stakes win and the third of her short career.
Affaire A Suivre was offered by Ainsley Downs Stud at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale and purchased by First Light Racing, Paul Willetts, Maher and Eustace.
The filly’s dam, Laurelling, is the mother of Listed 2021 Darley Scone Cup winner Laure Me In.
Affaire A Suivre became Astern’s second G1 winner, after Golden Mile captured the Caulfield Guineas (1,600m) in Melbourne last October. Astern becomes the only stallion in Australia to sire two G1-winning three-year-olds this season.
Astern won five races, including the G1 Golden Rose in 2016, and was placed twice from just nine starts.
An Astern filly out of Zimaretto sold for $260,000 at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney earlier this month.
Astern will stand at Darley’s Kelvinside property in the NSW Hunter Valley this season for a service fee of $22,000, GST inclusive.
The Australasian Oaks goes to @cmaherracing & @JohnnyA_24! 😍
— Racing.com (@Racing) April 29, 2023
Affaire A Suivre is a G1-winning filly! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/G7pigrOJiG
"I think she's got a really bright future."
— Racing.com (@Racing) April 29, 2023
Affaire A Suivre did a magnificent job from the car park! 👏 @cmaherracing pic.twitter.com/8yj1BUcTQi
