Hello Youmzain filly romps home

Lucy In The Sky delivered a sparkling result at Ellerslie where our filly was untested to win at the first time of asking.

The Tony Pike trained two-year-old had given a sneak preview of her ability when successful on the course in her only trial outing and carried that form over to race day in highly impressive fashion.

It was a hugely satisfying result for us as we bred and race the daughter of our young resident sire Hello Youmzain, whose previous New Zealand first-crop winner Remala also carries our colours.

The Lance Noble-prepared youngster was also a stylish debut winner on the track at Boxing Day before suffering a setback.

Lucy In The Sky was quickly into her work from the gates to comfortably lead under Warren Kennedy.

She travelled boldly in front and, after easing clear at the top of the straight, worked powerfully to the post score by a dominant 1.8l.

“I was a little bit surprised that she started favourite, she’d trialled well, but she was an inexperienced filly coming up against a handy field of two-year-olds,” Pike said.

“For her to come out and win like that on debut shows that she’s quite a promising filly. She appeared to be travelling well and has done it nicely in the end.

“We’ll have a think about whether we come back for the (Group 1) Sistema in a couple of weeks. My gut feeling is it might come up a little bit early for her, but we’ll see how she comes through this race today and take it from there.”

A half-sister to the G2 Rich Hill Mile winner Ruud Not Too, Lucy In The Sky is a daughter of the unraced O’Reilly mare Too Many Diamonds.

She is a half-sister to the G3 Red Anchor Stakes winner Royal Asscher and a strong juvenile family that includes the G1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Diamond Shower.

Multiple Group One-winning sprinter Hello Youmzain has now sired three winners from his first New Zealand crop of two-year-olds, our pair of Remala and Lucy In The Sky and Bendigo winner and Hello Romeo.

The Lindsay Park juvenile finished a respectable eight, and less than three and a-half lengths off the winner in the Karaka Millions.

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