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Stay With Me sensational in Listed win
Champion filly Miss Finland was simply exceptional on the racetrack, winning five Group 1 races during a stellar 11-win, $4.6 million career, including the Golden Slippper and the VRC Oaks.
Now she has a daughter in something close to her own mould. 3YO filly Stay With Me (by Street Cry) didn't just win Saturday's MVRC Atlantic Jewel S. LR: she put it away with the authority of a filly on her way to stardom.
Stay With Me jumped well enough from gate 13, then settled back and wide with only a couple of runners behind her. She held her place with cover and made ground mid-race, then quickened up before the turn which she rounded with alacrity, before powering clear to win by 1.5 lengths in 1:11.37.
Her performance was franked by the good efforts of the runner-up, juvenile Group 1 winner Pasadena Girl and Jameka, a further 1.5 lengths away in third place. Not A Single Doubt's daughter Don't Doubt Mamma was an eye-catching fourth.
Co-trainer Tom Dabernig said, "She’s a high-class filly and I thought there was a lot of merit to her win.
"She drew a wide gate today and she had to sit back, she was caught deep, and she showed an excellent turn of foot. She’s got a lot of improvement in her. Her coat is a bit of a patchwork quilt and she’ll improve.”
Dabernig's uncle and training partner David Hayes also prepared Miss Finland and, like her dam, Stay With Me is owned by the long-standing breeding & racing partnership of Arrowfield, John Leaver & Alan Jones.
Stay With Me is the 90th stakeswinner by Street Cry, and the 36th stakeswinner for Redoute's Choice as a broodmare sire. Her principal Spring target is the $500,000 MRC Thousand Guineas G1 - won by her mother nine years ago - on 10 October.
Miss Finland (by Redoute's Choice) retired to stud at Arrowfield in 2008 and adapted beautifully to her new life as a broodmare.
Her first foal to race, Woodbine (by Hussonet), has compiled a respectable record in Sydney from the Gai Waterhouse stable, winning three city races and earning black type in the ATC South Pacific Classic LR at three. He will do his future racing from the Chris Gangemi stable in Perth.
Stay With Me is the first of Miss Finland's fillies to race. Woodbine's sister Miss Helsinki has a yearling filly by Smart Missile and last month delivered a filly by Dundeel, while Stay With Me's year-older sister Tuusula foaled a colt by All American on 22 August.
Katsumi Yoshida purchased the More Than Ready-Miss Finland colt for $500,000 at the 2015 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and last year Miss Finland produced a filly to Animal Kingdom that will be retained by her breeders. The champion mare and stakes producer is due to foal to Dundeel later this month.
