O'BRIEN DEBUTANT PROVES THEORY WORKS

Following the mantra "success breeds success" could lead to a huge spring result for trainer Danny O'Brien after Aethera's dominant debut win at Flemington.

Few punters were on board with the theory as Aethera started as a $26 shot in the TAB We're On (1100m) but the filly won like an odds-on favourite with jockey Damien Thornton in the saddle.

The two-year-old was held up until shifted off heels at the 150m but she let down in a manner of a budding stakes winner in the latter stages with her acceleration sending her two lengths class of fellow first-starter Profumo at the finish.

O'Brien and his wife Nina bred Aethera using a cross that produced El Patroness, a Group 1 winner for the stable in 2022.

"She's a lovely filly," O' Brien said.

"She's obviously by Shamus Award, who we've bred quite a few to over the years, including El Patroness, who won an AJC (Australian) Oaks.

"That was the theory with this filly.

"We went and bought another O'Reilly mare and that was the same cross as El Patroness.

"She's bred to be pretty good."

Despite Aethera's big starting price, O'Brien said Thornton had continually given glowing reports of the youngster's ability in her two jumpouts last month.

Aethera lived up to Thornton's assessment while providing O'Brien with an answer to the question of whether she would develop into a spring three-year-old.

"Damien Thornton has been really positive on her jumpouts.

"He said, ‘There's a really big motor here, she just doesn't know how to do it'.

"We just saw a little bit of that when she got out. She put that race to bed very quickly.

"She was potentially going to the trials at Caulfield next Thursday but we thought we may as well just bring her across the road to finish up her prep and see if she's up to the spring."

O'Brien said Aethera's sharp turn of foot showed she would be too brilliant to be an Oaks filly but would instead be effective up to 1600m in the spring.

"There's plenty of other good stakes races beside the Oaks," O'Brien said.

Story by Brad Waters for Racenet.com.au

Pic by Racing Photos