Two strong juvenile maiden races at Randwick on Wednesday very nearly produced a winning double for Coolmore based shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) with his colt Regulated Affair missing by a whisker on debut and then his talented filly Wootton Lass made amends with a stylish victory at her second start.
Trained by John Sargent and ridden by Nash Rawiller, Wootton Lass was thrown into the deep end for her first start tackling the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes, but nothing went right that day and she pulled up slightly lame.
Back to the drawing board and given a chance to regroup in this 1100m maiden, the filly appreciated the drop in grade and crossed quickly from a wide draw to lead before kicking on strongly to win by the best part of a length over the favourite Scrumptious.
“Into the Sweet Embrace, the day got to her really and she got up and on the go, then she got galloped on, and just wasn't really herself,” said John Sargent.
“She was more relaxed today. Nash got there nice and easily, and she performed how I expected to first up.
“If you're not going to draw a gate, you kind of need some race versatility don't you, and she's shown that today; she's shown she's got that positional speed.
“Nash was said he'd be up on speed, but try and get a bit of cover, but you put the best on, and that's what you get. He just let her roll to the front, and she always looked comfortable.”
A $375,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Yarraman Park draft for Laguna Partnership/John Sargent, Wootton Lass is now a winner with the promise of more to come.
“She's got speed to burn, good natural ability and a good brain, so she will learn going forward,” said Nash Rawiller.
“I think now she can have a good break and come back a really nice filly.”
Bred by Australian Bloodstock and partners and foaled and raised at Yarraman Park, Wootton Lass is the first foal from The Natural, a well bred metro winning half-sister by Fastnet Rock to dual Group I winner Fiveandahalfstar and to the dam of this season’s Group I winner El Castello.
The Natural was bought by Australian Bloodstock for $400,000 from the 2022 Inglis Chairman’s Sale and her second foal, a filly by Home Affairs, sold in the Yarraman draft at Magic Millions for $550,000 to McEvoy Mitchell Racing/Belmont Bloodstock Agency.
The Natural produced a colt by Brave Smash (Jpn) last spring then missed to I Am Invincible so will be good to go for an early cover this year.
Wootton Lass is the fifth Australian first crop winner for Wootton Bassett and all of them are metro winners and he has six stakes performers headed by Golden Slipper runner-up Wodeton.
Wootton Bassett has 17 entries for Inglis Easter.
