With all her wins being on soft and heavy rated tracks, trainer Joe Pride has chased the rain of late with 4yo Flyng Artie mare In Flight winning the Listed BRC Bright Shadow Stakes last time out at Doomben, before scoring a late dive victory at Randwick on Saturday in the $200,000 Listed ATC Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m).
Starting the race favourite off the back of her consistent form, jockey Jay Ford allowed the mare to jump cleanly before settling a few lengths off the Ross McConville’s South Of India (Churchill) who had taken the lead and was ensuring a solid tempo from the get-go.
The consistent Brudenell who had recorded Listed placed efforts at his prior two starts settled in second and despite his 20/1 odds, jockey Dylan Gibbons had the Russian Revolution gelding travelling in a striking position throughout.
Tracking slightly wide in the run, the baldy-faced In Flight came even wider on the home turn and while she was still a handful of lengths off the leaders at the 300m mark, she was starting to accelerate quicker than anything else in the race.
With Brudenell taking the lead 100m out, Ford asked for one final effort from In Flight as the mare got her head down right on the line to give connections consecutive stakes victories.
With seven wins from just 14 starts and more than $680,000 in prizemoney, the $220,000 paid by Proven Thoroughbred’s Jamie Walter and Joe Pride to secure the filly at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from the draft of Kerrie Tibbey’s Goodwood Farm now looks value.
As the Randwick track improved throughout the day after commencing as a heavy 8, Pride started to feel a little worried.
"When this track started drying out, I was a little bit concerned as the best version of this mare is on genuine wet tracks," Pride said.
"But the times they are running today aren't too slow at all.”
"So, to come back from winning on a heavy track in Brisbane and get the job done is a very good effort."
While her next start has not yet been pencilled in, connections may be seen doing a rain dance in the coming weeks.
"She is up at the right time of year, and we will see how she pulls before making any more plans, but she is doing a great job," he said.
"I love her. I wouldn't say she is a sweet thing, she can be a bit of a tart. But she has all the attributes a good mare needs."
Like Pride, Ford was slightly concerned as the track dried out throughout the day.
“It did concern me a little bit with the track drying out as much as it did,” stated Ford. “It sort of took away her advantage to a degree because she's a superb wet tracker.
“She wants to turn up and race on a heavy 10 every day of the week.”
“I thought they'd go a bit quicker than that. But they backed it off after 300 metres and she did a good job to run down the other horse because it wasn't stopping.
“She's in good vein of form, and look, she won her first stakes race the other day. She's gone back-to-back. So, she's progressing well.”
One of ten stakes winner for Blue Gum Farm’s Flying Artie, who was also a yearling graduate of Goodwood Farm, In Flight is the first stakes winner and second stakes performer for the Listed-winning, imported Stravinsky mare Waveline (IRE) who was herself a $10,000 purchase for Tibbey via the Inglis Digital platform when carrying the daughter of Flying Artie.
Placed in both the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper at two before a winner of the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at three, Flying Artie stakes winners are headlined by Group 1-winning sprinters Artorius and Asfoora, with the son of Artie Schiller (USA) looking great value at a fee of $11,000 (inc. GST).
