It was a very easy watch for supporters of boom filly Libertini in Saturday's $200,000 Group II Darley Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
Tommy Berry had the Anthony Cummings-trained daughter of I Am Invincible lobbing along sweetly in third place and when given a couple of backhanders at the 300 metres she accelerated so quickly that Berry had the luxury of spending the final 100 metres checking his form of the infield screen.
Stopping the clock at a class record of 1:07.93, Libertini defeated Flit (Medaglia D'Oro) by two and a quarter lengths with Let It Poor (Redoute's Choice) a nose back in third. (image Steve Hart)
"Like a lot of good horses it feels like you're in slow motion, she quickens without you even feeling it that's why I was looking at the big screen to see how far they were away," Berry said.
"She pulled away from them easily, so for her to run that time, eased down over the last 100 metres, it's pretty exciting."
Anthony Cummings said the ease of the win was no surprise to him.
"I thought she could win as comfortably as that although I thought a couple of the others might have run on more strongly. I didn't expect the race to be run that strongly but she's that adaptable it doesn't really matter."
Making her career debut in the Group III Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick on April 6, Libertini finished a troubled second behind Bivouac who was a most impressive winner of the Vain Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday. The daughter of I Am Invincible then closed out her two-year-old season with easy wins over 1200 metres at Randwick and the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) at Scone.
Bred by Gerry Harvey and raced with his good mate John Singleton, Libertini is the best of three winners from as many to race out of the Encosta de Lago mare Aloha who was also bred and raced by Harvey.
Trained by Mick Price, Aloha won 8 and placed in 6 of her 20 starts while banking $804,974.
She won three stakes races highlighted by the Group 1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens back in 2011.
A half-sister to the dam of Group II winner My Emotion (Savabeel) and the granddam of Group 1 ATC Champagne Stakes winner Seabrook (Hinchinbrook), Aloha is out of the Listed VRC Ottawa Stakes winner Tennessee Midnight (Danehill) who is a half-sister to Group 1 VRC Darley Classic and Group 1 BRC BTC Cup winner Malaguerra (Magnus).
Aloha has a 2yo filly by Sebring and a yearling filly by I Am Invincible. She was bred back to the champion Yarraman Park stallion again last year.
Libertini becomes the 47th stakes-winner for I Am Invincible who is warming up to cover his 10th book of mares at Yarraman Park at a fee of $247,500.
