After being balloted from the Listed Princess Stakes, it was very appropriate that lightly raced filly CARTWHEELS triumph in her consolation, a 1400m midweek Class 1 on her home track, Eagle Farm.
The Princess Stakes is a race that co-trainer Steve O’Dea has won three times and the O’Dea/Hoysted team once through the Proven galloper CANADIAN DANCER, so it was a disappointment to miss the run. However there’s nothing like winning to soften the blow!
CARTWHEELS needed every bit of the 1400m, lunging in the final hop to snatch victory from tear-away leader A LOT OF BOOTY.
CARTWHEELS takes her record to 4:2-2-0 with a heart-stopping win at Eagle Farm for @ODeaHoysted & @justinh_23.
A $70k @mmsnippets yearling from @ZhongliTBreds, she is another promising 3yo by @widdenstud sire TRAPEZE ARTIST. @BrisRacingClub pic.twitter.com/slV8MBGaw5— PR🟢VEN Thoroughbreds (@ProvenTbreds) May 8, 2024
The daughter of TRAPEZE ARTIST had drawn awkwardly but a composed ride by Justin Huxtable ensured the filly found cover mid-race before being produced to make her winning run.
“Once I came out from behind them she really accelerated, producing the turn of foot that she showed me in that Deagon Trial the other week, to put them away nicely,’’ said Huxtable.
“She’s still very raw and untapped as you can see on the head on shot down the straight, she’s wobbling around having a look at her surroundings.”
The performance received a big tick of approval from our form analyst Nic Ashman.
“Continues to progress and she’s now competed in two slowly run races this prep, which will allow this filly to go deep into the winter,” Ashman said.
“Her last 600m was 7.6L faster than benchmark for Class 1 races at Eagle Farm and it was more than 4L faster than the next best in the race. Clearly better than these.”
Patiently handled by Matt & Steve, the TRAPEZE ARTIST filly has only been to the races on four occasions for 2 wins and 2 seconds and the manner in which CARTWHEELS finished suggests that she has a future.
TRAPEZE ARTIST is a sire the Proven team have shown plenty of faith in, acquiring another trio of yearlings in 2024 to join the likes of this filly, the promising FLYING BANDIT and Metro winner SPIN DOCTOR. O’Dea/Hoysted will put the polish on the filly from ABSOLUTE HEAVEN and the NZ reared LE CIEL colt.
CARTWHEELS is Proven’s 37th winner for the season and 17th for the calendar year. She was a bargain $70,000 yearling from Zhongli Thoroughbreds’ draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
