8 Nov 2008
The Stravinsky four-year-old mare,
Bird Of Fire, has captured an outstanding win in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes at Flemington on Saturday - the final day of the Victoria Racing Club's Melbourne Cup carnival meeting.
Bird Of Fire had to contend with a wide barrier of 16 but it made no difference to her as she swept to victory after producing a withering sprint finish inside the final 200m.
She had run numerous seconds during her career so to gain such an important win at this stage of her career has been well deserved.
Bird Of Fire was ridden to perfection by Melbourne Cup winning jockey Blake Shinn. Her most notable win prior to Saturday's race was the Group 3 Inglis Mile at Moonee Valley.
Bird Of Fire (ex You Beauty) was bred by A and Mrs B Smith.
Bird of Fire is a graduate of the 2006 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Select Sale, having made NZ$40,000 from the draft of Tom and Shelly Murtagh's Cambridge-based Esker Lodge.
Bird of Fire is from (Go) You Beauty, a mare by Comet Shine who won two races and was placed third in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks. The second dam, National Beauty, was a Listed winner in South Australia. Appearing in this pedigree is Sea Girl, the Champion Mare of Argentina in 1998. She won 11 races including three events at Group 1 level.
Stravinsky, who has stood in the past at Cambridge Stud, has sired 50 individual stakes winners.