Concert Hall storms home for first stakes win

[Chief Stipe]

Today’s Gr. 3 Wentwood Grange Cuddle Stakes at Trentham was the toughest test yet for exciting mare Concert Hall, and she emphatically passed with a superb last-to-first performance.

The Savabeel mare had won three of her five starts this season, including the last two in a row by a combined margin of almost eight lengths.

Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood raised the bar today to black-type level, taking on a talented field of fillies and mares in the $70,000 feature. She responded with her most impressive performance yet.

Having drawn gate 10 in the 11-horse field, jockey Matt Cameron took Concert Hall back to the tail of the field as La Bella Rosa, Igraine, Brimm and Livin’ On A Prayer put on a strong pace in the early stages.

Cameron angled Concert Hall to the outside at the top of the big, wide Trentham straight and turned her loose. She changed gears and swept past her opposition, swiftly ending the brief resistance of Jessiegee and drawing clear to win by two and a half lengths. Jessiegee finished second, with Tinkalicious third.

“Her draw was a bit awkward, and knowing the electric turn of foot she has, I didn’t want to go too hard early,” Cameron said. “I was happy to drop back.

“The track (Dead6) is a bit off today, and it’s quite testing even out where I was. She was struggling through it a little bit, but she’s got a lot of upside to her and she really let down nicely.”

James was thrilled with the four-year-old’s performance and has set his sights on the Gr. 1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes at Te Aroha on April 6.

“She’s passed one acid test, so now we probably have to find another one – I think it’ll be the one at Te Aroha with ‘Group One’ next to its name,” he said.

“That performance was a bit special. She was last for a lot of the race. The true pace helped us, but it was still a super effort.

“It’s wonderful for Joan Egan (owner-breeder), who’s a passionate breeder. She’s had the family a long time, and I can’t imagine the thrill she’s getting.”

Egan made the trip to Trentham for today’s race and revealed that she may have two runners in next month’s Te Aroha feature.

“I think Debbie (Rogerson) is keen to have a go at that race with Sandrine, so they might race against each other there,” she said.

“If Roger thinks she’s up to a race like that, I’ll go with him. He and Robert Wellwood are doing a great job of training this mare and I trust them implicitly.

“I’m blown away by today’s win. I really am. To come from the back of the field the way she did is just fantastic, I’m so happy.”

By Savabeel out of the four-race winner Classic Legacy (by Carnegie), Concert Hall has now had nine starts for five wins, a placing and $93,000 in prize-money.

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