The master trainer of stayers, Ciaron Maher, dealt a body blow to punters when $101 chance Socks Nation scored a fighting win in Saturday’s $700,000 Group 1 Seven Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm.
A Breednet ‘One To Watch” when breaking her maiden at start four at Sandown last November, Socks Nation had not threatened in two previous starts at stakes level.
With Ryan Maloney in the saddle, Socks Nation tracked Oceans Of Energy before striking the front on straightening.
The expected challenge of the fancied runners failed to eventuate as the daughter of one-season shuttler Sioux Nation (USA) kept up a strong gallop to defeat the Lope de Vega filly Our Gold Hope by a long-neck with the Russian Revolution filly Miss Joelene two lengths back in third.
“It’s phenomenal, the team has done a super job. She’s been in work 13 months, this filly, and she just keeps on running really well,” Maher marvelled.
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“I didn’t tie Ryan down too much with instructions; he’s pretty casual at the best of times. I was surprised she was that far forward in the run, but it worked out perfectly.
“She goes to a lot of locations, she’s been to the beach, and sometimes a change is as good as a holiday. She’s a tough, Kiwi-bred filly, and they do it time and time again in these races. She worked well in the week so we didn’t have to do much with her.
Ryan Maloney said the race mapped out perfectly.
“The race couldn’t have panned out any better for me. I was surprised nobody came to put any pressure on us,” he said.
“I knew she’d stay and you just can’t rule out any of Ciaron’s horses, even though she was a big price. He can do it all and it’s great to win my fourth Group 1, especially for Ciaron, as he used to put me on his horses when I’d just come out of my time as an apprentice.
“You can’t knock her form down south; it was a great training effort. We got all the breaks, and she just outstayed them in the end.
“I was confident at the 600 metre mark; when I pressed the button, we put a bit of a margin on them. I didn’t want them to outsprint me so I went a bit earlier than I would’ve done usually. When Craig came up to me, I thought we might be passed but she was so tough.”
Bred by Ian Millard, Socks Nation was a $160,000 purchase for Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) from the Milburn Creek draft at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and runs for Iskander Raing and Suman Hedge.
She is the first foal of the talented mare Tahnee Tiara, who won seven races and placed seventeen times in a 43-start career. The hard-knocking daughter of Commands is a half-sister to Listed stakes-winner Evalina (I Am Invincible), who finished third in the Group 1 AuRC Railway Stakes.
From the family of Referral, Shogun Lodge and Singing The Blues, Tahnee Tiara had an All Too Hard colt sell to John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) for $170,000 from the Milburn Creek draft at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Named Eye Of Light, he will sport the colours of Price Bloodstock for Ben, Will, and JD Hayes.
Tahnee Tiara has a yearling colt by Ghaiyyath (IRE), who fell short of his $80,000 reserve when consigned by Riverstone Lodge to the 2024 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
After foaling a North Pacific filly on September 18, Tahnee Tiara revisited North Pacific.
Socks Nation is the first Group 1 winner and 14th stakes-winner for Coolmore Stud’s Sioux Nation (USA). A Group 1 winning Son of Scat Daddy, Sioux Nation (USA) left 39 foals from his lone Australian crop conceived at Swettenham Stud, which also includes the Group III Red Anchor Stakes winner Archo Nacho.
