Yearning added to her already considerable value with a last to first victory in Wednesday’s Gr1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
This fillies classic was run a strong pace thanks to last start Listed winner Queen Of Dubai with Yearning settled towards the rear.
Yearning was last but had begun to gather momentum around the home turn and once straightened up finished best of all to defeat Elusive Empress (Jakkalberry), last start winner of the Gr2 Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington where Yearning finished second, by one length with Barb Raider (Rebel Raider) filling third.
Wednesday’s race was just the seventh start for Yearning, four of those this preparation. After finishing unplaced in the Gr2 Furious Stakes over 1200 metres at Randwick she broke her maiden over 1400m at Newcastle in mid-September before finishing runner-up second in the Gr2 Edward Manifold Stakes over 1610 metres last time out.
Hawkes Racing elected to bypass the Gr1 Flight Stakes at Randwick and Yearning is now the winner of two races and earnings of $728,100.
Yearning is the 18th Gr.1 winner and the 114th stakes winner for champion sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), advertised at $165,000 this season at Arrowfield Stud.
Snitzel also has Gr.3-placed Talented out of a mare by Ekraar (Red Ransom) and is also sire of Gr.1 winner Trapeze Artist out of a mare by Domesday (Red Ransom) and Golden Slipper Stakes winner Estijaab out of a mare by Charge Forward (Red Ransom).
Ekraar is a half-brother to Hussonet (Mr Prospector) and Snitzel’s sire Redoute’s Choice got Gr.1 winners King’s Legacy, Majmu out of a Hussonet mare while Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) got Gr1 winner and promising sire Extreme Choice the same way.
Yearning was originally slated to sell as a yearling but did not make it to public auction, selling privately when Arrowfield withdrew their entire draft in the first year of COVID when the sale was held online.
She is the only foal to race for her dam Rising Romance (Ekraar), winner of the Gr.1 Australian Oaks at Randwick and Gr.2 Royal Stakes at Ellerslie as well as seven Gr.1 placings including the New Zealand Derby, Caulfield Cup and Australian Cup.
Rising Romance is the best winner in the immediate generations of her female family, Yearning’s fourth dam Something Wicked (Sackford) a sister to Gr.1 Queensland Oaks and Gr.1 Flight Stakes winner A Little Kiss.
Further back, Yearning descends from Russ Marie (Nasrullah), the dam of Margarethan (Tulyar), the dam of French and North American Champion Trillion (Hail To Reason), herself the dam of Champion mare Triptych (Riverman).
Rising Romance has a 2019 colt Magic (Snitzel), sold for A$2.5m at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale and in training with Hawkes Racing, and a 2020 colt by Snitzel. She was covered by the same stallion last season.