Fledgling stable Malua Racing isn’t renowned for its two-year-olds but they may have unearthed a talented juvenile in Sell In May who scored an impressive debut win at Flemington.
Connections weren’t expecting anything special from the Starcraft filly after she was beaten in a slow trial last month but she rose to the occasion to land a short half-head win over Mornington debut winner Glimmer and Donna Cattiva in Saturday’s Spotless Plate (1000m).
“It’s really nice when you go in expecting not a lot and they come out and do that,” stable manager Troy Corstens said.
“It is a really nice surprise.”
He said Sell In May, trained by John Sadler, wasn’t a ready-made two-year-old but had made sufficient progress this campaign to get to the races.
She was beaten a length in a Cranbourne barrier trial on November 28 but in a time that was more than three seconds slower than the other 10 trials over 800 metres.
Corstens said it had been hard to get a guide on Sell In May as she had never been under any real pressure and even in her trial was “hard on the bit the whole way”.
Her task was made easier with the scratching of the Peter Snowden-trained Harpers, who won Sell In May’s trial and took charge of jockey James Winks on Saturday on the way to the barrier.
Sell In May is one of 24 horses Sadler has in training but only a third have been tested.
“We are not known as a two-year-old stable but we were lucky with her (Sell In May) because every time we have lifted the bar she has just gone up that little bit,” Corstens said.
Stephen Baster rode her at Flemington and after settling second last of the six runners and looking to peak on her run she found again to win in a photo-finish.
A $100,000 New Zealand bred yearling, she is owned by Balmerino Racing Partnership managed by stockbroker Jonathon Rosham, as well as Matt George.
Starcraft sired 2010 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Star Witness and there are hopes that Sell In May may be good enough to contest that race.
She is from unraced mare Savannah Rain and part of the successful Tennessee Vain family.
“On the pedigree page a two-year-old winner always helps,” Corstens said.
“It gives us a few options now, if we want to slow her down a little and have a crack at something better in the autumn.”
AAP TURF
