Media Award sprang a $61 surprise winning Saturday’s Australasian Oaks at Morphettville in her first start in a stakes race, coming into this off a win in a restricted race at the provincial Geelong track in Victoria.
The hitherto unbeaten Tasman filly Hela set the early speed but was a beaten horse before the home turn, Media Award sweeping up wide out to challenge into the home straight, reaching the lead inside the final 200m and then holding the late rally from the VRC Oaks winner Personal to score.
She is the 12th stakes winner and second Gr1 winner for Gr1 Cox Plate winner Shamus Award, who commenced his stud career at Widden Stud in New South Wales before being relocated to Rosemont Stud in Victoria where he was advertised at $19,800 last season.
He has the Gr3-placed filly Need New Friends also out of a mare by More Than Ready and the Gr2 winner Soul Patch is out of a mare by Flying Spur, a son of Danehill like Shovhog, Media Award’s maternal grandsire.
The Gr.3 winner Sovereign Award has Flying Spur as her maternal grandsire and the two-year-old Listed winner Flying Award has Danehill as his maternal grandsire.
Inbred 4×4 to Danehill, Media Award sold for $8,000 as a yearling and is now the winner of three of her six starts.
The second foal of her winning dam, her granddam Harley Ma (Shovhog) won the Listed Morphettville Guineas and finished second in the Gr3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes at Caulfield.
Media Award’s sixth dam Blue Roc (Wilkes) won the 1966 Queensland Oaks.