Making her career debut, the royally-bred filly Billiondollarbaby made short work of a competitive looking field in a two-year-old maiden over 1200m at Canterbury on Wednesday.
A daughter of I Am Invincible out of the dual Group 1 winning Dubawi (IRE) mare Srikandi, Billiondollarbaby led at every call under Kerrin McEvoy to defeat the heavily backed Maurice (JPN) colt Port Louis by a length with the Foxwedge gelding Lean Fox a further three and a quarter-length back in third.
“She has definitely got some talent, but she is just a ball of energy at the moment,” winning trainer Paul Snowden said.
“She has to learn to settle down. She was terrific until she got here today - out the back, she was a real handful.
“I was a bit worried she would over-race, but Kerrin rated her very well and importantly gave her a good experience. So she will bounce out of this and improve from here on in.
“She is full of herself. I remember Srikandi well. She had, we’ll call it, fire, and she is very similar. She is quiet but has got that determination that will take her a long way on the track.”
It has been a big seven days for Srikandi, whose first foal, the 3yo Snitzel filly, Heroess, broke her maiden by two lengths at Gosford last Thursday.
Billiondollarbaby carries the colours of Greg Ingham’s GPI Racing, who also part-owns Heroess.
Tony McGrath bred both fillies. A $600,000 weanling, Billiondollarbaby was purchased by Andrew Williams Bloodstock for $1,000,000 out of the Kitchwin Hills draft at the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Srikandi won nine of 15 starts, including Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap and Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara. The daughter of champion stallion Dubawi was bought for $2million by Tom Magnier at the 2019 Inglis Chairman’s Sale. The American Pharoah filly she was carrying was withdrawn from Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. She has a weanling colt by Justify (USA) and was covered by the undefeated Triple Crown winner again last spring.
