Highly regarded filly About A Girl (NZ) (Almanzor) will continue her career in Australia from the champion Sydney stable of Chris Waller.
The daughter of Almanzor made an impressive winning debut over 1200m at Tauranga last month for trainer and part-owner Nigel Tiley, prompting a trans-Tasman agreement for the three-year-old.
“We did a deal with one of Chris Waller’s owners and our partnership group got to retain 20 percent of her,” Tiley said.
“I’ve never really had a horse like her, she just kept improving in leaps and bounds and if she keeps going that way it will be quite exciting.
“She is pretty talented and I think it’s best for her to be over there and chasing that prizemoney in the autumn.”
Bred by George and Maryanne Simon, About A Girl was offered at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by Carlaw Park and was knocked down to Tiley for $100,000.
Her brother was bought at Karaka this year by trainer Shaune Ritchie for $250,000 and they are out of the unraced Power mare Sweet Inspiration (NZ) (Power), a half-sister to the multiple Group One winner and producer Turn Me Loose.
Tiley’s immediate focus now rests on a senior member of his boutique team to fly the stable flag with Riodini (NZ) (Proisir) to step out in Saturday’s Gr.2 Gartshore Tauranga Stakes (1600m).
He is in his second spell with the Pukekohe horseman, having won four of his six starts including the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) and placed in both the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) and the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m).
The son of Proisir then relocated to the Sydney stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and won the A$1 million The Gong (1600m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 George Main Stakes (1600m) and third in the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).
He has had one outing since returning to Tiley when seventh in the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1400m) under Sam Spratt, who takes the mount again at Tauranga.
“It was a good run and there was an obvious on-speed bias, which Te Rapa can be when it’s a good track,” he said.
“They just went too quickly for him, but Sam was happy with him and he found the line well.
“I scratched him the other day because of the heavy track and had the option to give him a jump-out at Pukekohe.
“We did that and he had a decent blow, he’s come on quite nicely since then so he’s going in the right direction. He’s also drawn to get a nice, soft run behind the speed somewhere.”
Safely through Saturday, Riodini will be prepared for the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m) at Trentham on December 9.
