She's Back Baby! Yonce Wins G3 Carlyon Cup

Media Release - Saturday February 10

Quality mare Yonce scored a richly-deserved Group Three victory when landing the Carlyon Cup (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday for trainer Ciaron Maher.

Yonce wins the G3 Carlyon Cup-image Grant Courtney

The highly-talented daughter of Proisir rewarded her connections faith with her first stakes victory at her third start this campaign, having been off the scene for 20 months due to a tendon strain.

The now six-year-old mare won six of her first seven starts, with her only defeat in her maiden campaign a brave fourth in the Gr.1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m).

Maher had built the mare back to full fitness with solid runs in the Listed Christmas Stakes (1200m) and a close-up fifth placing in the Listed John Dillon Stakes (1400m) prior to Saturday’s triumph.

Jockey John Allen was back in the saddle and elected to take luck out of the equation, leading throughout on the game mare, kicking away to score by three-quarters of a length from Foxy Cleopatra and Young Werther.

Advertisement

Yonce is the 17th stakes-winner for champion sire Proisir.

“First it is a credit to the owners,” Maher said. “She had a little injury and she could have gone to stud. She had a pretty good record but I said there is still a lot more to offer and they were patient.

“She promised so much. She went all the way through to be a Group One performer basically in one preparation.

“It is great to have her back and Johnny (Allen) knows her so well. There wasn’t a lot of speed and she jumped well. I was a little bit nervous when I did see him in front because she has been a little bit aggressive this preparation, but he took luck out of it and it was full credit to him.”

Maher said the Queen Of The Turf Stakes was potentially again on the radar, but he quipped he’d love another wildcard entry for the A$4 million All-Star Mile (1600m), which was handed to stablemates Pride Of Jenni and Jimmysstar.

“I’d love to get her up there (to Sydney, for the Queen Of The Turf). I think she’d appreciate it. She ran so well at the end of a long first prep.

“We’ll see if Matty (Racing Victoria’s general manager of racing Matt Welsh) is around and we can get another Wildcard.

“She has got a lot of options now and it is just great to have her back in form.”

Out of the Zabeel mare Ziva, Yonce was passed in as a yearling for $30,000 during the New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Sale from the Woburn Farm draft.

She was later purchased by Cambridge trainer Ross McCarroll, for whom she finished third in two trials and caught the eye of prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir.

Kheir bought an interest in the Proisir mare, but McCarroll and his fellow Kiwi owners – Shane McAlister, Stephen Kneebone and Lyn McMullan – remain in the ownership.

Yonce is the best of three winenrs from Ziva, a half-sister by Zabeel to stakes-winner Black Minx, the dam of Group III winning $2million earner So Si Bon. . – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment

Race Result - The Big Screen Company T.S. Carlyon Cup Gr3 1600m

Caulfield Track: Good(4) Time: 1:37.50
1
Yonce
- 6m Proisir (AUS) x Ziva (AUS) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: John Allen 55.5
2
0.8
Foxy Cleopatra
- 4m American Pharoah (USA) x Casuarina Forest (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: T Busuttin & N Young Rdr: B Shinn 55
3
1
Young Werther
- 6g Tavistock (NZ) x Romantic Time (NZ) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: D T O'Brien Rdr: Damian Lane 57
Inglis August (Early) Online Sale $47,500
Seller: Owners
Buyer: Livistona Grazing
NZB Karaka Book 1 $220,000
Seller: Cambridge Stud
Buyer: Mulcaster Bloodstock / Kaha Syndicate
4
1.1
Unusual Culture
- 5m Unusual Suspect (USA) x Cultured Pearl (NZ) (Darci Brahma (NZ))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: Craig Williams 55
5
3.8
Paperboy
- 8g Written Tycoon (AUS) x Blue Simone (AUS) (Dash For Cash (AUS))
Tnr: Gavin Bedggood Rdr: M J Dee 57
6
5.1
Kind Gesture
- 5m Decorated Knight (GB) x Dawn Of Hope (IRE) (Mastercraftsman (IRE))
Tnr: M C Kent Rdr: Jamie Kah 55
7
6.6
Loft
- 6g Adlerflug (GER) x Labrice (GB) (Dubawi (IRE))
Tnr: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes Rdr: L Currie 57
More Reading...
Storyville Downs the Colts in G2 WA Guineas
The WA Champion Fillies Stakes heroine Storyville earned a shot at the Group 1 Northerly Stakes after she gave the colts a start and beating in Saturday’s $500,000 Group II White Claw - WA Guineas (1600m) at Ascot.
Better Than Ready's Port Lockroy Triumphs in G1 Railway Stakes
Interstate visitors have a poor winning record in the $1,500,000 Group 1 Swan Draught - Railway Stakes, but Port Lockroy played his part in squaring the ledger when choosing the perfect spot to end a run of bad luck in stakes races.
Another Feature Win for La Crique
La Crique sprouted wings in the Pukekohe straight on Saturday to come from a near-hopeless position and win the Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) in a photo finish.
Sires With Winners - Saturday November 23
Here is the full list of 117 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Kiwi Bred Comeback King Globe wins Cranbourne Cup
The super-talented Globe put a troubled 14 months behind him with a powerful all-the-way win in Saturday’s A$500,000 Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m).
Xtravagant Gelding Nadal Brilliant in Meteorite
Ciaron Maher has a stranglehold on pop-up and slot races and was back in the winner's circle again after the inaugural running of the $1,000,000 The Ladbrokes Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne.
Yonce Returns Boxing Day
New Zealand’s reigning champion sire Proisir has had five Group I winners to date, but one of his progeny that is G1 class although hasn’t won the G1 yet is Yonce, who returns from injury at Caulfield on Boxing Day.
Barnstorming Win by Headwall in the Warra
The super-consistent Headwall reaped a just reward in the $300,000 Group III Snap Print Solutions Wollongong The Warra (1000m) at Kembla Grange.
Aussie Mare Youngstar Produces Exciting Japanese G3 Winner
Australian Group I winning half-sisters Youngstar and Funstar are both at stud in Japan and the former has a very smart two year-old colt in Eri King, who made it three wins from three starts when taking out the Group III Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nissai Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.
Yes Yes Yes Filly wins $100,000 Crystal Slipper
The $100,000 WATC Magic Millions Crystal Slipper (1100m) at Ascot on Saturday drew a competitive field of 13 and Yes Yes Yes filly Yes Queen produced a brilliant performance to score a dominant debut victory.