A filly unwanted in the sale ring and betting ring caused a monumental upset as a $151 rank outsider in the Listed $200,000 Woodlands Stakes (1100m) at Scone on Saturday.
Rags to riches filly Queen Regent caught everyone by surprise except trainer Blake Ryan and jockey Jay Ford when she finished fast to win the feature fillies two-year-old race.
Queen Regent is Ryan’s first stakes winner as a trainer and it a deserved result as he never lost faith in the filly.
She was purchased by Ryan for just $40,000 at the HTBA Yearling Sale last year but remained on the trainer’s website for five months without any offers to buy into the filly.
Ryan then entered Queen Regent at the Ready To Run Sale where she was passed in at $30,000.
The trainer couldn’t part with the Wild Ruler filly and took her back to his Hawkesbury stable base unsure of what would happen next.
“But then got a call from Geoff Wilson who bred the filly and he offered to come back into her,” Ryan said.
“Geoff was a great mare of Rick Worthington’s, God rest his soul, and Geoff has Rick’s colours now.”
Jay Ford, famous as the rider of champion Takeover Target, wore the familiar racing colours of cerise and yellow diamonds on Queen Regent, the despised $151 outsider, who mowed down a quality field of fillies to beat Found The Gold ($12) by one-and-a-quarter lengths with Lady Catalina ($21) three-quarters of a length away third.
There is no greater leveller than horse racing as evidenced by the Woodland Stakes result.
Queen Regent was able to beat some of the best-bred fillies in training including minor placegetter Lady Catalina who cost $1.8 million as a yearling.
Moscatel, the $2.40 race favourite, was purchased for $1.6 million as a yearling and ran only sixth.
Ryan and Ford both hold Queen Regent in high regard and they were disappointed when she was beaten on debut in a Hawkesbury maiden last month.
“We got it all wrong first-up at Hawkesbury,” Ryan said.
“She trialled terrific and going into her maiden I thought she would just about win but she went too hard.
“But I still ride her work and she has always shown really good ability so I knew she would go better today.
“I told Jay whatever you do just find cover. Sometimes if you take them into a better race, they run it quicker with a bigger field so they have no option but to get cover.
“She switched off really ‘good’ for Jay and that gave her the chance to show her acceleration she got into the clear.”
Ford said Queen Regent appreciated being ridden more conservatively in the Woodlands Stakes.
“This filly has shown us so much at home, she is so fast, and we used that the other day but it left her vulnerable late,” Ford said.
“So, we thought in the better quality of race, there would be good speed and it would give us the chance to harness her energy.”It actually worked in her favour being held up for half the straight as she showed a really good turn of foot in the last furlong (a200m).
“I’m really happy to win this race for Blake, he’s one of my best mates and this is his first black type win as a trainer.”
Ryan was then asked what his level of confidence was with Queen Regent going into the Woodlands Stakes.
“I’ve never had a $151 chance before and never had a number 20 (saddlecloth) either – but if they keep winning I will take it,” he said.
