Three cheers for impressive Tauranga winner

[Wandering Eyes]

There was no mistaking the most popular victory at Tauranga when promising three-year-old filly Sexy And I Moet had the grandstand rocking as she glided to the winning post in the Ultimate Mazda 3YO (1300m) for her connections, the Heels & Hooves Syndicate #2.

The eye-catching daughter of Pierro is raced by a large group of ladies that includes several experienced racegoers and industry participants alongside a host of those experiencing their first venture into horse ownership.

Trainer Stephen Marsh alongside bloodstock consultant Dylan Johnson put the syndicate together and enjoyed immediate success with Moet Down, a Pierro filly who has won once from seven starts and finished runner-up in the Gr.3 Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie in March.

The second edition of the syndicate now races Sexy And I Moet who had broken her maiden status at Taupo at the end of September and was lining up for her third start against a small but smart field on Saturday.

Allowed to find her feet by rider Sam Weatherley, Sexy And I Moet tailed last in the five-horse field before commencing a swooping run wider out approaching the home turn.

Weatherly asked her for a serious effort once balanced and she burst into gear, cruising to the lead and winning relatively untouched from the highly fancied Archaic Smile who had finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Sistema Sakes (1200m) during her two-year-old campaign.

Marsh stable representative Rhys Mildon was a popular figure as he accepted congratulations from the large number of syndicate members on-course for the race.

“It is an amazing bunch of ladies and for a good cause,” Mildon said.

“I’m actually a bit gobsmacked as she was slow away and he (Weatherley) looked after her, guided her into it and she was unreal at the finish.

“This is a syndicate that Stephen and Dylan put together a few years ago and they have had an amazing strike rate with two horses and two winners, so we are looking to keep it going.”

The cause that Mildon alluded to is the syndicate having an official partnership with Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand. As well as helping raise awareness of breast cancer, a percentage of all prize money won by each horse is donated to the Foundation with the horse racing in pink and white colours.

Weatherley was also suitably impressed by the effort of his mount.

“She is a lovely filly that the stable has always held in high regard,” he said.

“It was good to see her do that today and onwards and upwards from here.

“I didn’t think she was going to accelerate as well as she did and she put a bit of a margin on them, even though she wasn’t that comfortable in the going.”

TAB Bookmakers reacted to the performance by tightening her into a quote of $14 on the Fixed Odds market for the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on 16 November.

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