Sepoy and Virage de Fortune might not have lived up to expectations for Darley, but together they created a promising filly in Remedies.
Making her career debut in the $150,000 Rhino The Wrecker Plate (1000m) on Cranbourne Cup Day, the James Cummings-trained filly bolted in under a hand ride from Mark Zahra.
Remedies had the field off the bit before the home turn, and it was an easy watch as she led home the Street Boss (USA) filly Furosshi by three and a half lengths with the More Than Ready (USA) filly Neutralism a half-length back in third.
Remedies was due to make her debut in the Ottawa Stakes at Flemington, but she was made an emergency and did not get off the bench.
“It was very straightforward from the filly. We were probably a smidge disappointed we didn’t get a start in the Ottawa Stakes on Oaks day because we thought she’d be very competitive there,” stable representative Sean Keogh said.
“We managed to keep her on ice and come here on Cranbourne Cup day with good prizemoney.”
“Ahead to the Merson Cooper Stakes? It’s important to look after these good ones, so that will be up to James and the team to assess how she’s come through the run. It looked like Mark Zahra throttled her down there in the end, so delighted for the win.”
Mark Zahra said Remedies has a few quirks.
“She’s a feisty little girl, she didn’t give me the easiest time going around there (to the start), but one thing she has got is speed,” Zahra said.
“I wanted to lead because I knew there was only one place she’d relax, and once she was there, she switched off. Once I shook her up around the bend it was all over.”
Remedies is one of 28 foals from the eighth crop of 4-time Group 1 winner Sepoy. She is the sixth winner from as many to race for the Group 1 MVRC Australia Stakes and Group 1 QTC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Virage De Fortune (Anabaa).
A $3,400,000 purchase by Darley Stud at the 2007 Inglis Australian Select Broodmare Sale, Virage De Fortune is a sister to multiple Group III winner and Group 1 Oakleigh Plate runer-up Avenue, and a half-sister to stakes-placed Glassnost (Red Ransom), dam of Group III winner Slapstick (Anabaa).
Virage De Fortune has a yearling colt by Impending but missed to Earthlight (IRE) last spring.
Sepoy covered just 12 mares last spring.