Six months of planning had its reward with a decisive victory by the filly Soft Sand at Caulfield on on Saturday that has considerably enhanced her value.
Trainer Colin Little said he had set Soft Sand for the Listed Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) last spring after she won a winter maiden at Ballarat at her first start.
Soft Sand winning the Kevin Hayes Stakes at Caulfield - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia
“I put her out after that race in July and then brought her back in the spring with this race as her only target,” Little said.
Soft Sand had one run in December for a win at Sandown and then disappointed in her only other run when third at Caulfield two weeks ago.
While her latest victory came as the result of some careful preparation, it was no more intricate than the filly’s beginnings.
Soft Sand was bred by the Mitchell brothers’ Yarraman Park Stud in the Hunter Valley but was conceived in England where her sire Dansili stands.
Because Dansili’s owners haven’t joined the band of stallions that shuttles to and from the northern hemisphere each year, the Mitchells bought Soft Sand’s mother Mizzle in the UK and bred her to southern hemisphere time.
Mizzle was then brought back to Australia to give birth.
Little paid $160,000 for the filly at the Sydney Easter sales two years ago and while Saturday’s win has helped recoup his outlay, it has also made her a valuable breeding proposition.
Given a perfect ride by Damien Oliver, Soft Sand raced away to beat the favourite, New Zealand filly Anabandana, by 2-3/4 lengths with a short head to Glows in third place.
AAP TURF
