Tulip looks to have plenty of ability after a stylish debut victory at Moonee Valley
The Lindsay Park training team is confident it has a good batch of two-year-olds this season and Tulip looks to be among the best after a stylish debut victory at Moonee Valley.
Tulip sat at the back of the field in the 1Print Plate (1000m) on Saturday before rounding the field up early in the straight and powering away to an easy victory.
Sent out the $2.15 favourite under Craig Williams, Tulip won untouched by 1-3/4 lengths from Pure Emotion ($3.50) with Memory Bank ($71) 1-1/4 lengths away third.
Co-trainer Tom Dabernig said Tulip was one of the better two-year-olds in the stable which has already produced impressive winners Madeenaty and Catchy.
“She’s in the Blue Diamond so we’ll run her in a Preview or a Prelude and probably head towards the Blue Diamond,” Dabernig said.
“If she can pick up a bit of black type leading in into it it would be ideal.”
A half-sister to former Lindsay Park-trained Sacred Eye, Tulip was a $400,000 yearling in New Zealand and gave 2012 Golden Slipper winner Pierro his first winner as a sire.
Dabernig has a big opinion of the Pierro stock.
“We’ve got about half a dozen that all look pretty smart,” Dabernig said.
“The ones we’ve got may race in the new year or at the back-end of the two-year-old season, but they have a bit of class.”
Williams was having his first ride back in Melbourne following a successful short stint in Hong Kong, and was impressed with the victory of Tulip.
But he was diplomatic in his response when asked if he could separate Catchy and Tulip after guiding the former to victory over the same course and distance on December 9.
“Thank goodness I don’t have to pick between them, that’s up to (manager) Mark Guest,” Williams said.
“There’s so much more coming for both of them.
“They’re not just jump, on-speed quick two-year-olds, they’ve got a classic feel about them for a three-year-old career as well.”
Williams said he was impressed with the way Tulip went about her work.
“When I came to the outside, she didn’t just accelerate she lengthened the whole way up the straight without too much pressure,” he said.
