Heavens Above earned her first tally at the highest level when she rallied in the shadow of the wire to defeat Silent Sedition by a short head in the G1 Coolmore Classic over 1500m at Rosehill Saturday. Danish Twist was the same distance back in third in a blanket finish, a length in front of Daysee Doom (Aus) (Domesday {Aus}).
“I've always thought she was a Group 1 horse,” trainer Tim Martin told www.racingnsw.com.au. “This mare has been there all the way through and probably the reason I didn't give training away. Full credit to the staff. She was behind the eight ball coming into the race. I thought she was a run behind.”
Near the tail of the field racing one off the fence next to Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) through the early going, she began to weave her way up to the middle of the pack 600 metres out. Asked by Tye Angland shortly thereafter, the bay angled toward the middle of the course full of run and shoved her way in between rivals at the 300m. Quickening best of all late on, Heavens Above reached the line narrowly on top of Silent Sedition. Favored Omei Sword (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) ran seventh.
“She is little, but she has got a big heart,” said winning hoop Tye Angland. “That was a gutsy win. She had to make up a lot of ground. I did have to get her out of her comfort zone a little bit early which wasn't ideal, but that was my [only] option to have a good crack at them late and she let down strongly.”
Heavens Above last visited the winner's circle in the 1200m G3 Sheraco S. over this course second up in September. A sixth in the G2 Golden Pendant going 1400 metres later that month was her best finish among her next four starts, and she entered the Coolmore with a ninth-place finish in the G2 Millie Fox S. behind In Her Time (Aus) (Time Thief {Aus}) here Feb. 18.
Added Martin, “She will run in the [1600m G1] Doncaster [Mile at Royal Randwick Apr. 1] probably.”
Pedigree Notes…
The 19th Group 1 winner for her sire, the much-missed Street Cry (Ire), Heavens Above is out of Reggie, who won the 2200m G3 Amatil Premier's Cup H. in 2009. Reggie is a half-sister to the SP Xenophon (NZ) (Westminster {NZ}), while her second dam, Crackapon (NZ) (Le Fripon {NZ}), was the bridesmaid in the G1 Queensland Oaks. She has a yearling filly by Sebring (Aus) named Thank Heavens (Aus).
Saturday, Rosehill, New South Wales, Australia
COOLMORE CLASSIC-G1, A$607,000 (US$458,011/£376,580/€429,067), ATC, 3-11, 3yo/up, f/m, 1500mT, 1:29.65, Soft.
1–&HEAVENS ABOVE, 55.0, m, 5, by Street Cry (Ire)
1st Dam: Reggie (NZ) (GSW-Aus, $561,334) by Germano (GB)
2nd Dam: Crackastar (NZ), by Star Way (GB)
3rd Dam: Crackapon (NZ), by Le Fripon (NZ)
(A$170,000 RNA Ylg '13 INGEAS). O-President Bloodstock Pty
Ltd (Mgr: R C Kemister); B-Mr R Kemister NSW; T-T R Martin;
J-T Angland; A$355,000. Lifetime Record: 21-5-5-4, A$955,170.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Silent Sedition, 54.5, m, 4, War Chant (USA)–Fiorentina, by
Dubai Destination (USA). (A$45,000 Ylg 2014 MM Perth
Yearling Sale). O-Aqua Trained Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd (Mgr: T
F Curnow); B-Ms EE Giles WA; T-Andrew Noblet; J-S
Clipperton; A$114,000.
3–Danish Twist, 54.5, m, 5, Dane Shadow–Madame Flurry, by
Perugino (USA). O-B K Parker, Mrs E H Parker, G W Whitford,
Mrs R Whitford, R D Coleman, L Cortazzo, D Anastasi, R A
Willoughby, Miss M C Donnon, D Di Troia, G J Hanna, M W
Baxter, S T Baxter, P R B; B-Mr BK Parker SA; T-K A Lees; J-G
Schofield; A$60,000.
Margins: 0.1 len, 0.2 len, 1.2 len. Odds: 25-1, 8-1, 18-1.
Also Ran: Daysee Doom, In Her Time, Zanbagh, Omei Sword, Thames Court, Sold for Song, French Emotion, Global Glamour, Single Gaze, Dixie Blossoms, Denmagic, First Seal, Abbey Marie, Shillelagh (NZ) , Euro Angel (NZ) , La Bella Diosa (NZ).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Racing NSW Video.
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