With just three foals from his final crop that have just turned two, Testa Rossa won't have too many more opportunities to add to his record, but he looks to have a likely type in the Anthony Cummings-trained Lovemetender.
Sixth behind the crack filly Enthaar in the Group III Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick last October, Lovemetender made two starts in the autumn.
Following a close up third behind Najmaty in a fillies maiden at Randwick, Lovemetender closed out her juvenile year with an unplaced effort in the Group III Kindergarten Stakes on April 10.
There was not much money to suggest the Stuart Ramsay homebred would make her first trip to the winners circle in Wednesday’s Heineken Maiden Plate (1100m) at Randwick Kensington. Sent straight to the front by Glen Boss, Lovemetender won with a degree of authority over a pair of I Am Invincible fillies.
The odds-on favourite Trifaccia could get no closer than one and a quarter lengths with Chautauqua’s close relation All England a further three-quarter length back in third.
Cummings said the daughter of Testa Rossa would aim at some of the black-type races for fillies in the spring.
“She is a nice filly. She has been in and out of the stable a few times, and we gave her a chance in better races the last time through,” Cummings said.
“Time has been helpful for her. She matured and come back much stronger.
“She is very quick. Today, with the wind, it is hard to know where the right place is. But Bossy rode her very well, and he was confident going into the race.
“I think she is stakes quality. So, now we will look to the better races coming up.”
A sister to two winners, Lovemetender is the third foal of War Flower, a daughter of War Pass (USA), whose lone win came in a 900m maiden at Scone.
From the family of Probabeel and Savvy Coup, War Flower has a weanling colt by Husson (ARG) and was covered by Capitalist last spring.