Wendy Roche will be popping the champagne after Nettoyer’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes victory at Randwick but it won’t be the trainer enjoying a tipple.
Nettoyer is famous for her unorthodox diet of pizza and bubbles and she will get both after scoring her second G1 victory, 12 months after winning the Doncaster Mile over the same course and distance.
“I think the pizza’s on order and she’s already got pink champagne because we thought she would go close. She can have whatever she wants,” Roche said.
There has never been any doubt over Nettoyer’s talent but the enigmatic seven-year-old can be a handful.
She did too much wrong when attempting to defend her Doncaster crown last Saturday but found the line well enough to indicate another competitive performance was nigh.
“She missed the kick by three (in the Doncaster), she was 20 lengths off them and you can’t do that in a Group One against the world’s best horses,” Roche said.
“She only got beat 4.3 lengths. She needs pace….and she had that today.”
Nettoyer is set to be sold at an upcoming broodmare auction but will have two more starts for Roche in the Hollindale Stakes and Doomben Cup.
The mare was ridden to victory by Tommy Berry, who got a firsthand taste of her capricious behaviour.
“Getting her to the barriers is the hardest part. We were going along at a leisurely canter and she went to put the brakes on at the bottom of the steward’s tower and almost threw me over her head,” Berry said.
“But she was in a great mood today and when she is in one of those moods is when she is at her best.”
Nettoyer ($26) reeled in Probabeel ($2.15 fav) by a short head with Quantum Mechanic ($26) another 1-3/4 lengths away third.
