Unbeaten Tarzino filly Gypsy Goddess (NZ) maintained her winning record when cruising to victory at Eagle Farm on Saturday in a three-year-old handicap over 1600m.
The David Vandyke-trained filly was having her first start since winning the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (2100m) in mid-December from a campaign that netted four wins from as many starts.
Vandyke has long had Gypsy Goddess earmarked as a Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) prospect and she booked her passage to Sydney when coming from last to score by three-and-a-half lengths under apprentice Kyle Wilson-Taylor.
The apprentice nursed the filly to the line under her 57kgs top-weight with the long-striding filly having plenty up her sleeve.
Sunshine Coast-based Vandyke will now travel with his unbeaten filly to Sydney for the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) in a fortnight’s time at Rosehill, before going onto the Oaks on April 9 at Randwick after that.
The usually reserved Vandyke was up and about following the win, even revealing he declared his filly home at the top of the straight, such was the ease in which she was travelling.
“I went the crow at about the 400m, that was an amazing effort,” Vandyke said.
“When you think about it, she was the top weight over a mile while first up at Eagle Farm. Did she get tired? I don’t think she got warmed up.”
After scratching Gypsy Goddess from Ipswich on Wednesday, Vandyke came to Eagle Farm on Saturday looking to see her hit the line and he got even more than he bargained for.
“You come here hoping she hits the line, she’s definitely done that,” he said.
“Big lungs, big heart and my biggest worry was that she was too relaxed, she was falling asleep while we were saddling her up, of course what that does is keep her heart rate low and obviously her heart rate was pretty low that entire time.
“We will go down to Sydney at the end of next week for the Vinery and then we can’t wait for the Oaks.”
Gypsy Goddess is yet another quality galloper raised at Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore but the parrot-mouthed filly failed to meet her $20,000 reserve when offered as Lot 1145 in the Book 2 session of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.
Co-bred by highly-regarded veterinarian Chris Lawler, who also purchased and raced her sire Tarzino, Gypsy Goddess is out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Invisible Coin.
Lawler remains in the ownership of Gypsy Goddess, racing her with a syndicate that includes Bob Jones, one of Vandyke’s biggest stable clients.
Vandyke was very active at the recently completed Karaka Sales, purchasing 11 yearlings with the help of bloodstock agent Michael Hughes.
Amongst his purchases were three yearlings by Gypsy Goddess’ sire Tarzino, a promising young Westbury Stud stallion.
Vandyke also went to $115,000 to secure the Belardo half-brother to Gypsy Goddess from the draft of Haunui Farm.
