Blue-blooded filly Clean Energy has made a perfect start to her racing career, overcoming testing track conditions at Warwick Farm to post a classy debut win and book her passage to Brisbane.
A $2.6 million yearling purchase, the daughter of Zoustar out of Solar Charged was the highest-priced filly sold at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast auction being a sister to three-time Group 1 winner Sunlight and dual stakes winner Sisstar.
Scratched from Canterbury last Wednesday when she drew wide, Clean Energy had to overcome heavy 10 conditions in the TAB Plate (1000m) and while co-trainer Adrian Bott didn’t feel she enjoyed them, he said her quality shone through.
“The heavy ten today was another variable we didn’t necessarily anticipate, but I don’t think we were able to see her best today, I think she will be a better filly on top of the ground,” Bott said.
“We backed her class knowing that there is plenty of depth there that she should be able to get the job done today.”
With stablemate Toque being aimed towards the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) at Scone on Saturday week, Clean Energy is likely to head to Queensland for her next assignment.
The Listed Carter Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on May 25 has been pencilled in for the youngster with Bott and training partner Gai Waterhouse hoping to get some black-type on her record before the end of her two-year-old season.
“We did have a two-year-old fillies’ race picked out for her in Queensland, the Carter Stakes in two-and-a-half weeks, so that’s the most likely option,” Bott said.
“If we want to capitalise on some two-year-old form for her, get her seasoned and experienced, there is going to be a lot more we can see in the spring from her.”
Clean Energy wasn’t the only six-figure yearling to feature at Warwick Farm with $1 million Extreme Choice colt Emirate likewise making a perfect start to his career with an impressive victory in the opening race.
If he comes through the run well, connections are also keen to head north with the Group 1 J J Atkins (1600m) next month on the radar.
Emirate did his early education under Mick Price and Michael Kent (Jnr) in Victoria before being transferred to Chris Waller in Sydney and the trainer’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said the stable held the juvenile in high regard.
“He is a proper carnival horse, it’s just how far we push with him,” Duckworth said.
“James (McDonald) is adamant he is going to be a better three-year-old than two-year-old.
“If he pulls up fine and eats up his feed, we can make a call to push on, but if he’s going to feel the effects of today, which he could do as it was a very testing track, then I dare say Chris might just say, ‘let’s worry about his three-year-old year’.
“But at this stage, Brisbane is definitely a possibility.”
