Long Face Grace makes owners smile

Manhattan Rain’s 4YO daughter Long Face Grace scored a well-deserved maiden win at her fourth start over 1400 metres on Wednesday at Sandown.

Forced by her 13 barrier to race wide much of the way, Long Face Grace began to make ground 600 metres from home. She responded generously to Glen Boss’ urgings all the way up the straight to overtake Deadly Shadow 50 metres out and then find enough to win a head-bobbing final battle with Nakataan.

Watch Long Face Grace’s win at Sandown.

Long Face Grace was a $70,000 purchase by Mark Hoare’s syndication company Pacific Bloodstock from the 2013 Magic Millions draft of her breeder Highgrove Stud.

Bred on the same Manhattan Rain/Flying Spur cross as Group 2 winner Moonovermanhattan, Long Face Grace is the fifth foal of Retract, a city-winning half-sister to the dam of champion filly Atlantic Jewel and Group 1 winner Commanding Jewel. The pedigree is very familiar to Long Face Grace’s trainer Mark Kavanagh: he also trained Atlantic Jewel to win ten of her 11 starts including four Group 1 races.

Retract also has a 3YO son, Snitzational (by Snitzel) & a 2YO son, Ammate (by Beneteau), and she foaled a filly by Ocean Park in 2014.

Manhattan Rain was fourth on the 2014/15 Australian 2nd Season Sires’ list with earnings of almost $2 million and 32 winners, four of them successful in stakes company: Moonovermanhattan, Manapine, Ondina & Wild Rain (also prepared by Mark Kavanagh).