20 Oct 2021Our gallant farm graduate Tralee Rose has confirmed her place on the big stage on the first Tuesday of November at Flemington with a strong staying performance to triumph in today’s G3 Geelong Cup.
The gifted staying daughter of Tavistock had placed in all three of her previous outings and completed an ideal G1 Melbourne Cup preparation when her depths of stamina were too good for her rivals.
Tralee Rose idled along in fourth spot on the fence for rider Dean Holland and, when the leader found the going too tough, she pushed through to be in front at the top of the straight and held a strong gallop to earn her Cup ticket.
“She was right there to be beaten and she toughed it out, from a Melbourne Cup point of view it was really positive,” trainer and part-owner Symon Wilde said.
“I was grappling whether to run her or not, but that will top her off and it’s very exciting. It’s onwards and upwards and we’ve got a genuine top five hope with a horse we bought in New Zealand – it’s what dreams are made of.”
Wilde teamed up with Cameron Cooke Bloodstock to buy Tralee Rose out of the Cambridge Stud draft at Karaka in 2018 for $50,000. She is a daughter of the two-time winner and Listed NZ St Leger placegetter Star Of Tralee.
The Zabeel mare is a half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Serenade Rose and also the family of Trekking, twice successful at the elite level.
Star Of Tralee produced a colt by Russian Revolution last year that will be sold at Karaka in January and is due to foal to Kermadec.
Tralee Rose’s victory completed a posthumous black-type double this afternoon for our late hero Tavistock, whose son Tutukaka stamped his G1 VRC Derby prospects with a dominant win in the Listed Geelong Classic.