DELIGHTFUL MEMPHIS DELIVERS FOR GROUP OF OWNERS
Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones has kicked a goal for a group of owners, some of whom only entered the ownership of Delightful Memphis five days before her debut Group 3 win in the $25,000 ‘Sweet Lou’ Leonard Memorial Stakes at Addington on Sunday, February 28, 2016.
Spokesman Pete Smith, who shares in the ownership with wife Debra, was thankful for the opportunity to race Delighful Memphis with Wayne Higgs, cricket commentator and former Black Caps NZ cricket representative Simon Doull, and other shareholders, Sir Loins Ltd, Kaysan Farming Ltd, and BM & JH Holdings Ltd.
Delightful Memphis puts in a winning run wide on debut for Blair Orange in the $25,000 ‘Sweet Lou’ Leonard Memorial Stakes at Addington.
Mr and Mrs Smith previously had the promising but ill-fated Smoke N Santanna (two wins from six starts) in the Jones stable.
Mark has also trained other minor winners from the Smiths’ good racemare Smoke N Mirrors, in Smoke N Grin and Smoke N Fire.
The Overport Lodge trainer was in Sydney for the APG Sale at the weekend searching for more talent.
He had high hopes Delightful Memphis would go close on debut.
“She’s a lovely filly,” he said.
Delightful Memphis, a daughter of champion sire Bettor’s Delight from the same maternal family as former six-time Derby winner Courage Under Fire (1:54.2, 51 wins & $1.5 million), drew attention with a smart 1:58.6 mile to qualify at Ashburton on February 10.
The winning connections of Delightful Memphis at Addington on Sunday.
She backed it up with sharp Rangiora trial win on February 17 in a 2:00.9 rate (2000m).
Twelve months ago, Wayne Higgs offered Delightful Memphis at the NZ Premier Yearling Sales, with Mark Jones liking her enough to buy her for his stable for $46,000.
Wayne Higgs retained a share but Mark Jones has on-sold his share to the fellow group of owners, including cricket celebrity, Simon Doull, a co-owner of $235,000 thoroughbred winner, Deane Martin.
Delightful Memphis lived up to her glowing reputation, dealing to a tidy field of juvenile fillies.
Settling fifth in the eight-horse field for driver Blair Orange, Delightful Memphis angled into a one-one sit beginning the final lap, then dashed up to be parked at the 700m.
They took cover as Kotare Yarra loomed up in the open at the 600m, then had a good finishing kick inside the final 150m, winning going away by 1 1/2 lengths in 2:28.1 (2000m), a mile rate of 1:59.1.
The leaders had the speed on over their last 800m in 56s and final 400m in 28.6s.
Delightful Memphis (Bettor’s Delight-Memphis Melody) has plenty going for her on breeding.
Driver Blair Orange salutes the judge when returning to scale with Group 3 winner Delightful Memphis at Addington on Sunday.
She’s a half-sister to four other winners including Harley Earl (1:55.3, 10 wins), Virginia Lightning (1:57.1, 12 wins & $A69,185), Forest Bobo (2:00, four wins) and Miss Peabody (one).
Her grand-dam OK Deb (p3, 1:58.1), is a speedy nine-win half-sister to Adios Dream (p2, 1:58.4), another former smart filly, who at two won the 1999 NZ Welcome Stakes, the Te Awamutu & Morrinsville Juvenile Stakes.
At three, Adios Dream also won a NSW Golden Easter Egg Stakes at Fairfield and was runnerup in a NSW Princess Mile at Harold Park.
Adios Dream has bred on, leaving Ransom Olds (p3, 1:54.9), who won twice when trained by Mark Jones and went on to win another 12 races and close to $100,000 in Australia; $150,000-plus USA winner, Smokey Lonesome (1:52.2, US); and Cullens Creation (dam of Millie Sampson (1:56.1, eight wins & $85,052), Quite A Delight (1:54, nine wins from 15 WA starts for $A96,529) and Kompressor (1:57.8, two wins).
Advance Debra, another half-sister to Ok Deb and Adios Dream, won the inaugural 1990 NZ Sires Stakes 2YO Fillies Championship and became the dam of champion 2 & 3YO, Courage Under Fire, who was unbeaten in his first 24 starts.
Another from Advance Debra in Erin Brockovich is the grand-dam of Cyclone Prince, 1:57.1, four wins & $131,057, including the 2013 Group 1 Young Guns Cardigan Bay 2YO Stakes at Auckland; and Cyclone Kate (12 wins), who won Sunday’s $A50,000 Menangle free-for-all on Miracle Mile day in 1:52.1 (1609m).
Delightful Memphis’s third dam Deborah Dundee (three wins) was the 1999 NZ Broodmare Excellence Award winner.