30 October 2021

Dominating G2 victory for daughter of Kermadec

Willowy storms home to take out the G2 Wakeful Stakes at Flemington

Dual G1 winner Kermadec is rapidly showing his ability to sire exceptional fillies and mares, with impressive three-year-old Willowy bursting into the spotlight with a barnstorming win in the G2 Wakeful Stakes over 2,000m at Flemington in Melbourne on Saturday, 30 October.

Three-time G1-winning mare Montefilia has flown the flag for Kermadec to date, winning the G1 Flight Stakes (1,600m) and the G1 Spring Champion Stakes (2,000m) at Randwick in 2020 before capturing G1 The Metropolitan (2,400m) at the same track this year.

Willowy confirmed her five-length win in maiden company at Newcastle earlier this month with an emphatic victory in the Wakeful for Godolphin trainer James Cummings and jockey Jye McNeil and now looks certain to line up as one of the top fancies in the $1 million Oaks (2,500m) at Flemington next Thursday.

"She's a gorgeous filly," Cummings said. "She's certainly coming along in leaps and bounds in a short amount of time.

"Quite typical of the Kermadec breed, You can get a spring three-year-old and we thought she was certainly improving rapidly enough to tackle the Wakeful.

"She looks a very promising stayer and it looks like we're in business."

Kermadec, who won the George Main Stakes and Doncaster Handicap both over 1,600m at Royal Randwick in 2015, achieved a Timeform rating of 125 during his short but stylish 17-start career.

The son of Teofilo stands at Northwood Park, Victoria for a service fee of $11,000, including GST.