The Group III VRC The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday drew a quality field of up and coming fillies with Sydney trained visitor Wollombi finishing over the top of them to score her first stakes win.
Wollombi wins the Vanity - image Grant Courtney
Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Wollombi won her maiden at Canterbury last August and then reeled off back to back wins at Warwick Farm over 1400m to warrant a trip to Melbourne.
Partnered by Damien Oliver, Wollombi was easy on the market and settled back in the field before surging into the race out wide to join in and win by three-quarters of a length over multiple stakes-winner See You in Heaven.
“It was my first sit on her, but she had been winning well in Sydney,” said Damien Oliver.
“Winning form is good form and I liked the way she had been attacking the line up there and while there was a little bit of a class rise today there was good pace in the race.
“She joined in great coming into the straight and was strong at the finish.”
Wollombi is the ninth stakes-winner for Extreme Choice - image Grant Courtney
Raced by a partnership Wollombi was bred and sold by Kingstar Farm fetching $200,000 at Magic Millions when bought by Snowden Racing and has the tidy record of four wins and five placings from 11 starts with prizemoney topping $250,000.She runs for a partnership that includes Carl Holt in whose colours she runs.
Wollombi is the first foal of Hazlebrook, a winning half-sister by Hinchinbrook to stakes-winner Everage and has an interesting pedigree featuring double crosses of three champion sires – Danehill, Snippets and Rory’s Jester – within her first four removes which is pretty unusual.
Hazlebrook has a yearling colt by Tassort that Kingstar Farm sold as a weanling for $12,000 at Magic Millions last year and he will be offered at Perth Magic Millions next week as Lot 104 by Ruby Racing and Breeding.
Lot 104 - the half-brother by Tassort to Wollombi.
Hazlebrook had no foal last spring after missing to Extreme Choice and is now in foal to his Group II winning son Tiger of Malay.
Wollombi is the ninth stakes-winner for Newgate Farm’s outstanding young sire Extreme Choice.
