The two year-old fillies maiden over 1100m at Randwick on Wednesday held plenty of interest with several runners well fancied, but it was the John O’Shea trained More Territories that blew them all away on debut with a booming late finish.
Well educated for this assignment with three trials under her belt this preparation, More Territories was allowed to settle early by Tyler Shiller after jumping from an outside gate and surged to the line to win by three quarters length of a length over stakes-placed Yes Yes Yes filly Nymphadora.
More Territories is a homebred for Ron Finemore in whose colours she runs and is a half-sister to two handy winners from stakes-placed More Than Ready (USA) mare More than Faith.
“She looks unreal, she gave me a really good feel in the run, but I didn’t think the Kenso would suit her, getting back and run on, but she’s pulled it off,” said Schiller.
John O’Shea was confident the filly could figure in the finish, despite her price of 20-1.
“It’s easy to say now, but we were confident she could run well,” said O’Shea.
“She’s a homebred for Ron and is by Territories. I think he got a few sideways looks when he said the mare was going to Territories, but he liked the mating and has gotten a good result.”
A Group I winning miler by Invincible Spirit, Territories shuttled to Darley for five seasons coming for the last time in 2021 when he covered just 23 mares. He has sired 16 stakes-winners worldwide including a pair of Australian bred Group II winners in Navajo Peak and Berkely Square.
More Territories has plenty of pedigree through her female family with her dam More Than Faith a daughter of Group II winner Faith Hill and half-sister to stakes-winner Black Minx (the dam of $2.3million earning Group winner So Si Bon) and to the dam of Group III winner Yonce.
After missing in the two years after producing More Territories, More Than Faith now appears to be in foal to Grunt.
