The Australasian Oaks returned a Darley-sired quinella when Canny Lad filly Small Minds led home No Evidence Needed, by Shamardal. Both fillies are trained by John Thompson for Patinack Farm.
A last-start winner of the Listed Adelaide Guineas, Small Minds travelled no closer than three-wide throughout. Taking the lead rounding the home turn, she defied the determined late challenge of her stablemate to win by a neck. Second-placed No Evidence Needed has also franked her recent form, having finished third on her most recent outing to fellow Shamardal filly Faint Perfume at Group Two level in Melbourne.
The winner has now taken her career earnings just shy of $300,000 and could now head to Sydney for the lucrative AJC Oaks with the G1 South Australian Derby, in which she would take on the colts, also an option.
Bred by Mr DR Casson, Small Minds is out of the Yeats mare Princess Marigold and was purchased from the Inglis Scone yearling sale for $48,000. She is a half-sister to Stakes winner Marwin Gold and becomes the tenth individual Group One winner and 46th Stakes winner for the Twin Hills-based Canny Lad.
A winner of the G1 Golden Slipper as two-year-old, Canny Lad has proven his diversity as a sire, producing top-level winners from 1200m to 2400m. Small Minds joins the Group One-performed King Pulse and Magic Millions Trophy winner Graceful Anna as the stand-out runners for her sire so far this season.
With the Inglis Easter yearling sales fast approaching, it is worth nothing that Canny Lad will be represented by a handful of entries, including lot 5, a full-brother to the G1 Dubai Rosehill Guineas winner He’s No Pie Eater.
Earlier in the day, two-year-old Lonhro filly Obsequious recorded a very good second behind Military Rose in the G2 Reisling Stakes. A traditional lead up to the G1 Golden Slipper, the lightly-raced filly was having just her second start and indicated a fruitful future with her performance. Gaining further black type was Cassini, a four-year-old daughter of Reset, who finished runner-up in the G3 Rich Hill Thompson Handicap at Trentham in New Zealand, having been Listed-placed in January.
