Yearning’s dream Guineas for Arrowfield & Snitzel

Team Arrowfield erupted soon after 5:00 pm on Wednesday when 3YO filly Yearning carried the Stud’s famous Black and Yellow Diamonds across the line in the $1 million MRC Thousand Guineas 1600m G1.   

She is the third Arrowfield home-bred filly to win the coveted classic, after the successes of Miss Finland in 2006, and her daughter Stay With Me in 2015.    

Remarkably, she’s also Snitzel’s third new Group 1 winner in the past 20 days, after 4YO entire Wild Ruler (A.J. Moir S.) and 3YO colt In The Congo (Golden Rose S.). That takes the four-time Champion Sire’s lifetime tally of Group 1 winners to 18, and he leads the current Australian Sires’ premiership with 7 stakeswinners and $4.5 million progeny earnings.

YEARNING the 18th Gr1 winner & SW114 for Snitzel in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.

Dam Gr1 Rising Romance.@HawkesRacing @_damienthornton @MelbRacingClub @ArrowfieldStud pic.twitter.com/lDwe013IK1

— Pedigree Update (@pedigreeupdate) October 13, 2021

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes, representing the Hawkes Racing team, wasn’t nearly as surprised by Yearning’s victory as the punters who sent her out at 25/1 despite her excellent last-start second in the Edward Manifold S. G2, and he indicated she would likely head to the VRC Oaks G1 on 6 November.

Jockey Damien Thornton explained why he didn’t panic when Yearning ended up near the rear of the field. 

“You ride the horse more than the race. You get a better result more often than not. You don’t have to worry about where the speed map puts you, just ride the horse.

“She travelled really well. It was perfect, we had that cart into the race around Caulfield and it is quite important here. She is a really good filly.”

Yearning – as a yearling, winning the Thousand Guineas G1, Damien Thornton & Wayne Hawkes celebrate victory
PHOTOS: Bronwen Healy, Darren Tindale & Georgie Lomax

Yearning is the Stud’s second Group 1 winner in five days from its Class of 2018, following Profondo’s brilliant Spring Champion Stakes victory last Saturday.

Like Profondo (out of 2YO Group winner Honesty Prevails), Yearning is the first foal of her Australian Oaks G1-winning dam, Rising Romance (by Ekraar), whose seven Group 1 placings included a second in the 2014 Caulfield Cup.

Yearning’s year-younger brother Magic was this year’s top-priced yearling in Australia, purchased for $2.5 million from Arrowfield at Inglis Easter by Hawkes Racing. He has been placed in both of his trials this Spring. 

Rising Romance has 2020 and 2021 colts by Snitzel and returns to him this Spring.

Raced in partnership with Murray & Judy Shaw, Peter Collier and bloodstock agent Andy Williams, Yearning is the sixth Group 1 winner bred by Arrowfield’s joint venture with the celebrated Japanese nursery Northern Farm – after Weekend Hussler, Reaan, Hot Snitzel, Sweet Idea & Tagaloa.

And she is the third stakeswinner from Arrowfield’s 2020 Easter-Private draft, joining Group 3 winner Mallory and Listed winner Royalzel.