Ilovethiscity Gelding Chapel City Rocks Punters in Lee Stakes

Mark Smith - Saturday May 16

Trainer Gordon Richards has been enjoying a great run of late but he was hardly the punters pin-up boy when his 6yo Ilovethiscity gelding Chapel City chose his 46th start to earn his maiden stakes win as the despised $101 outsider.

It came in Saturday’s Group III RA Lee Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville.

With Georgina Cartwright in the saddle, Chapel Hill defied the favoured pair of Seabrook and Harbour Views.

Forty minutes earlier Cartwright had won the Listed Centaurea Stakes on Oasis Girl (Redoute’s Choice) for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra.

“Even though the horse was big odds, the Gordon Richards stable is in hot form,” Cartwright told racing.com.

“He actually surprised me to be honest. He was having a step up in grade from last start, but surprised me with the turn of foot he showed.”

Chapel City had only ever contested three previous stakes races, two of them three years ago and one two years back with his best result coming when third in the Listed Adelaide Guineas in 2017.

His overall record however stands at a praiseworthy 8 wins, 8 seconds and 8 thirds from 49 starts with earnings of $441,465.Ilovethiscity

Purchased by his trainer for $35,000 out of the Dingellydell draft at the 2015 MM Adelaide Yearling Sale, Chapel City is the best of seven winners from as many to race out of the Peintre Celebre mare Chapent an unraced half-sister to Listed winner Chading (Marauding).

Chapent has an unraced 2yo Puissance De Lune filly named Peaches De Lune, a yearling filly by Stratum Star, who was purchased by Gordon Richards for just $16,000 at this years Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling sale.

After foaling a colt by Ilovethiscity last spring, Chapent was bred back to Puissance De Lune.

Chapel City becomes the fourth stakes-winner for the Randwick Guineas winner Ilovethiscity who stood at Noor Elaine Farm in 2019 at a fee of $5,500.

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Race Result - Robert&Fay Gerard R A Lee Stks Gr3 1600m

Morphettville Track: Soft(5) Time: 1:37.50
1
Chapel City
- 6g Ilovethiscity (AUS) x Chapent (AUS) (Peintre Celebre (USA))
Tnr: G V Richards Rdr: Ms G Cartwright 55
2
0.2
Seabrook
- 4m Hinchinbrook (AUS) x Midnight Revels (NZ) (Don Eduardo (NZ))
Tnr: M Price & M Kent Jnr Rdr: Zac Spain 53
Hinchinbrook
3
2.0
Harbour Views
- 5g Le Havre (IRE) x Icky Woo (GB) (Mark Of Esteem (IRE))
Tnr: M J Williams Rdr: John Allen 55
4
2.9
All Too Huiying
- 5h All Too Hard (AUS) x Madame Flurry (AUS) (Perugino (USA))
Tnr: P Stokes Rdr: P Gatt 55
5
3.0
Aristocratic Miss
- 4m Foxwedge (AUS) x Golden Pedigree (AUS) (Gold Brose (AUS))
Tnr: T & C McEvoy Rdr: Damien Thornton 53
6
3.4
Shrouded In Mist
- 5m Exceed And Excel (AUS) x De Lago Mist (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: T & C McEvoy Rdr: B Vorster 55.5
7
4.2
Nipperkin
- 6m Artie Schiller (USA) x Pipkin (AUS) (Gallo Di Ferro (USA))
Tnr: B D Brook Rdr: Ms E Finnegan 53
8
4.6
Waging War
- 6g Rebel Raider (AUS) x Fartoo Flashy (AUS) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: L Macdonald & A Gluyas Rdr: J Holder 55
9
6.2
Snogging
- 5m I Am Invincible (AUS) x Starts With A Kiss (AUS) (Umatilla (NZ))
Tnr: T Busuttin & N Young Rdr: Lachlan Neindorf 53
10
8.8
Roselli Sting
- 7g Casino Prince (AUS) x Could Be Something (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: G V Richards Rdr: Sairyn Fawke 55
11
9.4
Dexter You Devil
- 5g Ambidexter (AUS) x Ready Made Devil (AUS) (More Than Ready (USA))
Tnr: Shayne Cahill Rdr: Jake Toeroek 55
12
10.1
Vinland
- 5g Sebring (AUS) x Viking Turf Belle (AUS) (Elusive Quality (USA))
Tnr: T & C McEvoy Rdr: Todd Pannell 55.5
13
11.2
Hussybay
- 6g Hussonet (USA) x Kuri Bay (USA) (Summer Squall (USA))
Tnr: R W Huxtable Rdr: Kayla Crowther 55.5
14
11.9
Mongolian Marshal
- 5g High Chaparral (IRE) x Ardeche (NZ) (Dehere (USA))
Tnr: S P Gower Rdr: Ethan Brown 56.5
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