Tobeornottobe (Pierata) burst down the Flemington straight under a well-timed ride under Jye McNeil in the G3 Thoroughbred Breeders S. to secure a maiden victory. The Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock-trained filly defeated the hot-favourite Ameena (Tassort) and a fast-finishing Yes Lulu (Yes Yes Yes).
Co-trainer Mathew de Kock told Racing.com post-race, “Tobeornottobe, unfortunately, had a little hiccup before the G1 Blue Diamond S. We would have loved to have taken our place in that race. However, it didn’t eventuate.
“So, we were patient with the filly, and she stayed in work. She was very happy and trialled superbly well on Monday in preparation for today (Saturday), and she’s just a lovely filly to work with.
“Tobeornottobe setback wasn’t too bad, but it was poorly timed. I guess things work out for a reason, and she came to Flemington today (Saturday) and put a big run on the board.
Tobeornottobe is the second-stakes winner for the Yulong-based Pierata. She is his fourth individual winner for the son of Pierro, who has produced five winners and four stakes-performed 2-year-olds from 16 runners.
The aptly named filly is the third foal from the Written Tycoon mare Shakespearean Lass. She won six races from 1000 to 1200 metres, including the Listed WJ Adams S. Tobeornottobe has been her best-performing runner to date with a second in the G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies) and a fourth in the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) in addition to her Group 3 success.
Tobeornottobe was a $200,000 purchase by Griffiths de Kock Racing and Peter Ford Thoroughbreds (FBAA) from the draft of Widden Stud at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling. That duo, alongside Yabby Dan Farm, went to $180,000 to bring home the filly’s half-sister by Russian Camelot (Ire) from the 2024 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale when offered by Widden Stud.
This article was written by Keely Mckitterick for TTR AusNZ.
