Daughters boost Charge Forward’s record

Two talented daughters of Charge Forward have been busy adding fresh black type to their sire’s record during the first five Saturdays of the new season, and today it was the turn of 4YO mare Response (ex Live It Up by Match Winner).

Already a winner of last season’s VRC Matron S. G3, Response returned to Flemington to contest the $200,000 VRC Let’s Elope S. 1400m G2 and produced a bold finish from well off the pace to run second, beaten only a short head by No Evidence Needed. The time of 1:26.85 was 0.49 seconds faster than the previous race, The Sofitel.

Response filled the same position in her season opener, the MRC Cockram S. 1200m G3 on 14 August and her record reflects her consistency: two wins, four placings and prizemoney of $247,275 from seven starts.

Bred by Freer Pty Ltd and Mr A. & Mrs L. Bowcock, Response is trained by Matthew Ellerton & Simon Zahra for well-known owners Barry and Midge Griffiths, whose previous stars include Tawriffic (1989 Melbourne Cup), Mannerism (1992 Caulfield Cup), Azzurro (1992 Thousand Guineas) and Northwood Plume (1994 Thousand Guineas & VRC Oaks). The Griffiths purchased Response for $50,000 at the 2008 Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Charge Forward’s other flag-waver in the first weeks of 2010/11 has been 3YO filly Solar Charged (ex Soul Singer by Danehill) second in both the AJC San Domenico S. 1000m G3 on 7 August, and the AJC Silver Shadow S. 1200m G3 on 21 August.

Winner of the AJC Kindergarten S. 1100m G3 as a 2YO, she too has been very consistent, with two wins, three placings and $264,000 from six starts for her owner-breeder Peter Horwitz.

Also the sire of the now-retired G1-winning filly Headway and G3 winner Shrapnel from two crops totalling only 129 foals, Charge Forward stands at Arrowfield in 2010 at a fee of $33,000 (inc. GST).