The three Darley sires dominating the second-season sires’ table continue to pile on the pressure, most recently with Lonhro siring a double on Wednesday, headed by the impressive Rosehill victory of Withoutme.
Reset, Exceed And Excel and Lonhro are currently filling the trifecta in the second-season sires’ premiership, and the excellent campaign being enjoyed by Lonhro’s first bunch of three-year-olds produced two more winners on Wednesday, Withoutme breaking her maiden by scoring over 1300m at Rosehill and I’m Flexible doing likewise over 1200m at Gawler.
Withoutme, who races for her breeder John Baxter of Ruane Stud, flagged up her potential when running well in two Listed two-year-old races in Brisbane during the winter Carnival, after which her trainer Kris Lees sent her off for a spell. Lees’ patience now looks like paying dividends as she won in the style of a filly who should win again. She is certainly bred to progress, as her dam Miz Nicholls is a full-sister to Shinzig, winner of last year’s C.F. Orr Stakes, and is a daughter of the former Group One-winning mare Shindig, who was trained for Baxter’s late father Arthur by Lees’ late father Max.
I’m Flexible is also from an excellent family, being a daughter of the Scenic mare Beam who, being from the Golden Slipper winner Bint Marscay, is a half-sister to the Group One winner Bollinger as well as to the good filly Mannington, now best known as the dam of Victoria Derby winner Benicio and of this season’s smart three-year-old filly Romneya. With such distinguished parents, it is little wonder that I’m Flexible fetched $400,000 when consigned by Newhaven Park at the 2007 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, and her trainer Richard Jolly will now be looking to place her for further success.
