AYMAR REWARDED AT AUCKLAND; RETURNING TO CANTY
Aymar, rewarded with a $11,700 maiden win at Auckland on Friday, July 1 for the Mark Jones stable, will return to Canterbury for her future racing.
“It was great to get a win with her there. It was a very successful trip as she won nearly $17k up there and if she raced in Canterbury would have been lucky to win $8k!,” Mark said.
“She will come home and have a run or two before the end of the season and then go for a well deserved spell.”
The 3YO Real Desire-Chloe Bromac filly is raced by Geoff Deakins, who is also having a successful run in Victoria as a co-owner of former useful Canterbury pacer, Pepe Bromac.
Tony Herlihy
Aymar, a catch drive for Tony Herlihy from two on the second row in the Woodlands Stud Mobile Pace in her Auckland win, slotted into a perfect one out and one back trail.
However, after Jessica Bromac (parked) made the lead at the 1500m, Herlihy pressed to the front at the 1400m and controlled the race from that point.
Well-rated, she kicked clear to win by two lengths in 2:47.4 for the mobile 2200m, quickening over her last 800m in 57.8s and final 400m in 28s.
Aymar, a half-sister to Better Watch Me (1:59.3, Aust), is a distant relative to one of Tony Herlihy’s former star performers in Bella’s Boy, who he trained and drove to win the 2002 Australasian Breeders Crown 2YO colts & geldings Final, and the 2003 Victoria Derby, when co-owned by himself and the late John Seaton.
Bella’s Boy (In The Pocket-Bella Chip, by Peoples Blue Chip-Orbell), who later raced in North America and returned to NZ for a late racing and stud career, paced 1:52 in the United States.
He won 16 of 59 starts for $473,171.
Aymar is the third foal from Chloe Bromac (Falcon Seelster-Classical Bell, by Holmes Hanover-Abbeybell, by New York Motoring-Orbell).
Her third dam Abbeybell is a half-sister former top pacer Awesome Armbro (1:49.8, US) and to Bella Chip (1:52.6, US), the dam of Bella’s Boy.
Another from Abbeyfell in Altruistic is the dam of former good Southland mare Sheeza Shark, now a 1:51.1 USA winner.
Bella Chip also left Winter Rose, a race-winning sister to Bella’s Boy, who herself left 2009 Victoria Cup winner, Bettor’s Strike (1:55.7, 16 wins & $890,201); and smart fillies, Bella Arden (1:57.3, five wins), Southwind Arden (1:58.4, nine wins & $150,127), Rocknroll Arden (1:57.7, six wins & $172,154) and Arden’s Choice (1:56.6 four wins to date & $199,742).
Bella Chip, who won five and $131,120 in the early 1990s, was the first foal from Orbell (Patron Score-Light Chase).
Her second foal was the former top mare Lento (15 wins & $272,110), who won back-to-back NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes in 1995-96 and also won two Premier Mares Championship at Addington in 1994 and 1996.
Lento left another smart filly in Whanau (1:57.1, 10 wins from 32 starts).
Light Chase, the lightly-raced Good Chase dam of Bella Chip and Lento, was half-sister to former top 1980s pacer Trident (14 wins incl. the 1985 NZ Welcome Stakes & 1986 NZ Messenger for $235,045).
Light Chase was also a half-sister to Lochaime, dam of former smart pacers in the ill-fated 1995 Welcome Stakes 2YO winner Corumba (1:58.1), six wins from 24 starts), Warloch (nine wins).
Venus Serena, a former top filly for the Geoff Dunn stable.
Lochaime also left an unraced Soky’s Atom mare in Awesome Dream, dam of former speedy fillies in Inspiring Dash (1:59, five wins) and Gail Devers (10 wins from 19 starts).
Inspiring Dash (by Falcon Seelster) has notably become the dam of champion filly Venus Serena (1:52.1, 16 wins from 34 starts for $796,497), Cracka Cullen (1:54.6, Aust) and Rona Lorraine (three wins).
The latter, Rona Lorraine, a Group One 2YO winer of the 2008 Nevele R Stud Caduceus Club Classic, and is now the dam of other useful fillies in Bettor Think Twice (1:57.3, four wins) and Bettor Think Quick (1:56.6, five wins from 16 starts).
While Aymar is still in the early stages of her career, she has the pedigree to extend further.
She returns to Canterbury a winner at her 11th start, while she’s also had three seconds and three thirds.
By Jeff Scott