The Champion Australian 3YO Filly of 2019/2020, Loving Gaby is on the board with her first winner after Pierata filly Just Like Gaby opened up to win by daylight at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Thomas Stockdale, Just Like Gaby was a beaten favourite at Moonee Valley two weeks ago when running second, but more than made amends at her second run back from a spell.
She kicked right away with 100m to run and scored by four and a half lengths in the 1000m maiden beating lightly raced four year-old Zoustar mare Star Rapper, who started favoruite.
Loving Gaby is clearly a stronger filly than she was last spring when unplaced in two starts behind quality three year-olds First Settler and Drifting, so there should be more wins in store.
“She showed that turn of foot tonight that she has shown in her trials so it was great to get the win with her,” said Thomas Stockdale.
Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull was pleased to see the valuable filly break the ice.
“She’s come a long way this prep as we have taken it very slow with her as she was wanting to rush everything in her trackwork and her races and although she got a few things wrong fist up, she made amends tonight,” he said.
“She’s got an engine and we do think a lot of her and she’s obviously got a big page so hopefully she can go on with it.”
Just Like Gaby was an $800,000 Magic Millions purchase from Segenhoe for her trainer, who also trained her dam Loving Gaby, a dual Group I winner of $2.2million by champion sire I Am Invincible.
Bred by Phoenix Thoroughbreds, she runs in their colours and is the first foal of her dam, whose second foal is a two year-old filly by Snitzel that sold for $400,000 at Magic Millions last year to Kennewell Racing/Group 1 Bloodstock and is yet to be named.
Loving Gaby slipped the following year so has no yearling, but produced a filly by Snitzel last year before then going to Wootton Bassett (GB).
Just Like Gaby’s sire Pierata had a winning metro double on the night with Flying From Above saluting at Canterbury to break his maiden.
