Shopaholic goes on spree in Vanity
The Danny O'Brien trained Shopaholic, pictured diving to victory in the centre, proved giant killer when she rolled odds-on favourite Mosheen in the Group 3 Vanity at Flemington on Saturday.
Desptie her shock defeat in yesterday's Vanity Stakes at Flemington, high-class filly Mosheen will progress on to the $1 million Australian Guineas at Flemington next month.
Mosheen, who started at $1.45, could not hold off the New Zealand-bred Shopaholic, who came home determinedly in the final 200 metres to topple the race favourite.
However, Mosheen's trainer, Robert Smerdon, said that while Mosheen had her colours lowered yesterday, the three-year-old would continue with her lofty ambitions for the remainder of the season.
"She had to give them 3½ kilos, and that's bit of weight, and perhaps she might have been a bit flat at her second upstart," he said.
In contrast a jubilant Danny O'Brien, who trains Shopaholic, said that although the three-year-old was victorious at Flemington over Mosheen, Shopaholic would not contest the Australian Guineas.
"There's a fair weight turnaround against Mosheen and I feel that in the next two weeks there are some excellent quality two-year-old races around for her," he said.
"She is a very nice filly who has been lightly raced and will improve on her win today.
"Mosheen was obviously the testing material in the spring, her and Atlantic Jewel, but our filly is catching up to them now and she is doing a very good job.
"I knew the filly was in great order. She'd had a nice win first up and she'd come on super and you can't stay at home because of one horse [Mosheen].
"She got a good ride from Dwayne [Dunn] today, he peeled into the right lane and she was tough in the fight to the finish."
Shopaholic started at $14, after drifting from $9, and scored by a short half-head from Mosheen, who firmed from $1.50 to $1.45, with Angel of Mercy at $21 third.
O'Brien confirmed that Shopaholic would start in either next Saturday's Angus Armanasco Stakes at Caulfield or a fortnight after that in the Kewney Stakes at Flemington.
Dwayne Dunn was also impressed by Shopaholic's performance in the Vanity Stakes.
"I had a very big opinion of her when she came back over from New Zealand and she doesn't really like the cut out of the track in the ground as I think it brings her unstuck a little.
"She flew the lids [barriers] good today and travelled well. I thought at the top of the straight Mosheen was travelling much better than me, but when we straightened up, she really dug deep," Dunn said.
"I probably thought that Mosheen was vulnerable second up and I also knew it would be a pretty fast-run race. So I gave her a genuine chance of winning."
Story by Patrick Bartley, to view full story on Sydney Morning Herald wesbite
Photos by Bruno Cannatelli, to view his website click here
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