Verry Ellegant came out on top in Saturday’s Group 1 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick but it was close at the finish.
Racing for the first time since finishing runner-up to Addeybb in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over 2000m in April, Verry Ellegant made an early move to sweep around the field before the home turn and then maintained that momentum to edge it in a driving finish, the first seven home covered by less than five lengths.
At the finish Verry Elleegant had a half-head to spare over stablemate Star Of The Seas (Ocean Park) with Fierce Impact (Deep Impact) a half-neck away third.
It is a fourth win at the highest level for Verry Elleegant, appropriately trained by Chris Waller with the race club running this time-honoured weight-for-age race as the Winx Stakes in honour of the Waller-trained mare which won the race four times.
Waller has ambitious plans for Verry Elleegant this spring with the Melbourne Cup and or Cox Plate as options for the five-year-old.
“This horse has come back very well. You’ve seen that today,” Waller told Sky Racing. “She did a lot of work through the run and was still strong late.
“How do we get her to win every start this preparation? I don’t know but I want her to win the Grand Finals as well. Whether it is Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup – that has a good ring to it.
“She is the right horse to do it.”
Inbred 3×3 to Danehill (Danzig), Verry Elleegant is the best winner in the immediate generations of her pedigree and is inbred 4×4 to Cotehele House, the third-dam of Zed and the fourth dam of Verry Elleegant.
Herself a daughter of Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight), Cotehele House left five-time Gr.1 winner Danewin (Danehill) and Gr.3 winner Commands (Danehill), both Gr.1 sires while Eight Carat left no less than five Gr.1 winners.
Further back and Verry Elleegant traces to Mumtaz Mahal.