Sporting the colours of world renowned Japanese breeder Katsumi Yoshida for the first time, the Chris Munce trained So You Think mare Palaisipan bowed out of Australian racing as a Group I winner after scoring a stylish victory in the $700,000 Group I Tatts Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The five year-old won the Group II BRC Dane Ripper Stakes during the Brisbane Winter Carnival last year before finishing third in the Tatts Tiara and has come back a better and stronger mare this year.
She put the writing on the wall last start when finishing fourth in the $3million Group I BRC Stradbroke won by Think About It and up and coming jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor kept the ride after that effort and produced an A grade performance today.
He was able to ease her across from an outside gate to take a decent position and when angled into the clear Palaisipan showed her class to win by the best part of a length over seasoned Group performer Roots.
It was the first Group I winner for Kyle Wilson-Taylor.
"I can't believe it. I'm on top of the world. I just can't believe it,” he said.
"It just goes to show that if you want something in life and put in the hard work you can achieve it.
"I can't thank Chris and the connections enough. This is the greatest moment of my life so far.
"I came across, I wasn't taking any prisoners, and I was calling to get in and I got in. Everyone was forgetting this mare. She's so tough and I knew if she had a restful run early she was going to be there late, and she was."
It was also the first Group I win for Chris Munce as a trainer and he actually won this race as a jockey back in 2000 aboard Bonanova long before it was elevated to G1 status.
“I knew whatever won the race today would have to be good to beat her because she improved out of sight from the Stradbroke,” said a delighted Chris Munce.
"She was basically pulled up in the Kingsford-Smith when she pulled a shoe, so she missed a very crucial run there and she was only half fit going into the Stradbroke, she still ran fourth.
"I watched her work here on Tuesday morning and I went home and said 'I don't care what's in the race, they'd want to be good to beat her on Saturday."
The win was bittersweet as Palaisipan will now head to stud in Japan having been purchased recently by Katsumi Yoshida.
"You've got no idea of the emotions I'm feeling at the moment. It's the ride of a lifetime with a mare like her. We paid nothing for her, she's been all up and down the east coast for us and performed at the top level in every race she competed in,” Munce reflected.
"Came back here and the Yoshida conglomerate liked her and wanted to buy her. So, reluctantly, we accepted their offer. I said to all the owner's 'she's at the right age, she's been a wonderful mare, she's had a fantastic career'.
"I don't know what to say. I'm so overwhelmed at the moment because so much goes into these horses, to mold them and develop them.
"All the staff, even my farrier this morning, he had to come in and touch her shoes up. It's a team effort.
“She's a wonderful mare, she's going to have a great life as a broodmare with the top stallions and studs all over the world."
Bred by Gooree Stud, Palaisipan was part of their reduction sale at Magic Millions National Sale in 2020 after the passing of Eduardo Cojuangco with Chris Munce picking up the then unraced two year-old filly for $40,000 on the advice of her previous trainer Mark Newnham.
“Mark Newnham had her as an early yearling. I’m good friends with Mark and I was looking for a tried horse, and I rang him and said ‘what do you think of her?’”said Chris Munce.
“He said ‘I haven’t done much with her, but she’s a nice filly’. We ended up buying her for $40,000, which was probably cheap now.
“I got her home, and everyone who rode her said I bought a lemon, so I was a bit worried.
“I thought ‘oh, what’s going on here?’
“But as soon as we got her fit, and got her up and going, she’s always showed that touch of class.”
Palaisipan has won seven races and placed seven times from 21 starts earning over $1.1million in prizemoney and is the first and only foal of her dam Touch of Red, who died in 2018.
An unraced daughter of Fastnet Rock, Touch of Red was a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Group II winner and sire Smart Missile from the family of Group I winner and influential sire Northern Meteor.
Palaisipan is the 11th Group I winner for So You Think and is his second this season joining Stradbroke winner Think About It and she is the eighth Group I winner for Fastnet Rock as a broodmare sire.
Her victory has propelled So You Think into a clear second place on the Australian General Sires List by earnings. He stands at Coolmore this spring at a fee of $99,000.
