Lady Shenandoah wins the G1 Flight Stakes
Lady Shenandoah (dark green & red silks) goes clear of her Flight Stakes rivals to add the 20th Group 1 win to her sire Snitzel's sensational record. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
The Friday morning scratching of Flight Stakes favourite Autumn Glow was, to say the least, very disappointing for her owners Hermitage Thoroughbreds & Arrowfield Stud.
But Saturday afternoon brought swift and welcome consolation, when Lady Shenandoah swept to a 3-length victory in the $750,000 Sydney fillies’ Classic over Randwick’s famous mile, defeating Harlem Queen and Snow In May (The Autumn Sun’s 7th Group 1 performer).
She brings up a series of milestones as the:
- 20th Group 1 winner for multiple Champion Sire Snitzel
- 84th graduate Group 1 winner for Arrowfield
- 2nd Group 1 winner bought by Hermitage from Arrowfield (after The Autumn Sun)
- 12th Group 1 winner bred by Arrowfield & John Leaver’s Planette Thoroughbred
- 17th Group 1 winner from Arrowfield’s Inglis Easter drafts, 2013-2023
Make way for the lady!
Lady Shenandoah makes a mess of the G1 Flight Stakes with a dominant win for @ZacLloydx and @cwallerracing!@aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/GAlwl6Ber6
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 5, 2024
Lady Shenandoah was joined by Land Legend (The Metropolitan G1) & Via Sistina (Turnbull S. G1) to deliver a Group 1 treble on the day for champion trainer Chris Waller, and her jockey Zac Lloyd also piloted Airman to an upset victory in the Premiere S. G2.
Lloyd enthused about Lady Shenandoah, “What a filly and obviously I am very lucky to land on her…It was scintillating.
“She travelled like the winner the whole way and I just had to count to five before I let her go. But I don’t think it mattered, she is very good.”
Purchased from Arrowfield for $525,000 by Hermitage at Inglis Easter, Lady Shenandoah is the fifth foal of Star Pupil, a Paul Messara-trained winning daughter of Starcraft and the grand racemare & producer Ain’t Seen Nothin’.
Ain’t Seen Nothin’s 7 winning progeny include G3 winner Bachman, Listed winner Ain’tnofallenstar (dam of G3 winner Ain’tnodeeldun) & Singapore Horse of the Year Stepitup.
Star Pupil, also the dam of Hong Kong Group 1 winner & young sire Stronger (by Not A Single Doubt), has a yearling colt by Maurice and visits Snitzel again this Spring.
Lady Shenandoah & last weekend’s Golden Pendant G2 winner Makarena are two of 4 stakeswinners from only 12 runners bred on the Snitzel/Starcraft cross.
Snitzel’s trophy cabinet is already full, but he clearly doesn’t know it! He currently heads the Australian 3YO Sires’ table, is third on the General Sires’ Premiership and holds 4th spot on the Broodmare Sires’ list.
