Ethereal’s granddaughter wins at Geelong
A granddaughter of 2001 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups winner Ethereal has made a winning start to her Victorian spring campaign, with the VRC Oaks on the radar.
Trained by New Zealanders Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman who are no strangers to success in Australia, Eleonora was sent out the $1.45 favourite in Friday’s 1300m fillies and mares’ maiden on the synthetic track at Geelong.
After taking a while to warm up in the straight, Eleonora rushed home to overhaul the two leaders to win comfortably by 1-1/4 lengths.
“Mid-race I was bolting, but the two leaders kicked and put four lengths on her at the top of the straight and I was a bit anxious there, to see if she was going to finish it off,” jockey Damien Oliver told Racing.com.
“But she claimed them well inside the furlong and she finished off really well.”
Friday’s race was Eleonora’s fifth start and second this campaign. She had been placed in all four of her runs in New Zealand including the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie in April.
Eleonora is by Makfi out of Sopra Tutto, a daughter of Ethereal.
Baker and Forsman began their Melbourne spring assault last Saturday when Saracino won the Group Two Danehill Stakes at Flemington.