It was the famous Yulong colours to the fore in the three-year-old Classic Preview at Caulfield on Saturday over 1800 metres, as the lightly raced filly Quick Finish (Grunt {NZ}) thrived over the extended distance to score in dominant fashion in a strong staying performance.
Jye McNeil allowed Quick Finish to gradually roll to the lead and take up the running, as Utopic Future (I Am Invincible) had to work quite hard from a wide gate to sit outside the leader.
The tempo was strong enough as Arashi Flash (Tagaloa) took the trail among a clump of horses just behind the pace. Upon straightening, it looked like horses improving wide were looming into the fight, but McNeil found a kick with Quick Finish at the 300 metres, and she sustained that run in a promising staying rehearsal to score by just under half a length.
Icy You (Pinatubo {IRE}) ran on nicely for second, while fellow Yulong-owned Frank Whisper (Frankel {GB}) looks all over a Derby horse after running into third placing following a freshen-up since his maiden win over 1700 metres in late July.
McEvoy Racing’s Racing Manager Rayan Moore was impressed with the winning effort, especially with a few things against the promising filly on the day.
“It was a fantastic effort today, she has been some five or six weeks between runs, off a synthetic winter meeting to here a Caulfield on a beautifully prepared track,” Moore said.
“It’s fantastic for Mr Zhang and his team, Danny Roulston is here today, Sam (Fairgray), Jun (Zhang) and they have given us a really nice home-bred filly going forward, by Grunt and out of a Golden Horn mare, I think she is going to lap up the Oaks distance.”
Asked about potential plans ahead for the filly, Moore outlined an obvious path towards the spring’s staying features.
“Probably back here in an Ethereal. It’s probably the likely target, and then that sets up nicely for an Oaks so it’s very exciting,” Moore said.
Sales info: Quick Finish was passed in short of her $30,000 reserve at the 2025 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. She is now raced by her breeders Yulong Investments.
Pedigree info: Quick Finish is out of the unraced Golden Horn (GB) mare Gentle Strokes, who is a half-sister to the six-time winner and Group 3 and Listed-placed filly Poster Girl (Alabama Express) and the six-time winner and Listed-placed Sketched – Pacific Master (Sing.) (Snitzel).
This is also the extended family of the dual Listed-winner Universal Order (GB) (Universal {IRE}) and the Group-winner and multiple Group 1-placed City Style (USA) (City Zip {USA}).
Gentle Strokes in recent times has left a two-year-old filly by Written Tycoon who the Well Written (Written Tycoon) connection of Stephen Marsh Racing and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock purchased from the Yulong draft for $150,000, a yearling filly by Alabama Express and is due to foal to Growing Empire next month.
Written for TTRAusNZ
