Second stakes success for Charmmebaby

[Wandering Eyes]

Something about the Queensland sun brings the very best out of talented New Zealand-bred mare Charmmebaby, who picked up the second stakes win of her career in Saturday’s Listed Radiotab The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm.

Charmmebaby moved north to the Sunshine State last December to join trainer Lawrie Mayfield-Smith, and she quickly stepped up to stakes level with a win in the Listed Brisbane Handicap (1640m) and a second in the Listed Bernborough Plate (1600m). Her winter carnival campaign has brought more of the same this month, finishing second in the Listed Spear Chief Handicap (1500m) seven days before her thrilling Wayne Wilson win.

Patiently ridden by Craig Williams in Saturday’s A$150,000 feature, Charmmebaby rounded the home turn in third place along the rail and was poised to pounce as soon as a gap presented itself in the straight.

A narrow opening finally appeared inside the final 200 metres, and Williams and Charmmebaby took full advantage, bursting through to take the lead. Kubrick and Kirwan’s Lane flashed home late in a grandstand finish, but Charmmebaby crossed the line with a margin of a neck up her sleeve.

Charmmebaby has been a revelation in Mayfield-Smith’s stable, earning A$222,800 from just four appearances in Queensland. The other 28 starts of her career have produced seven wins and A$325,065 in stakes.

“She’s better this time in than last time, although she was pretty good last time,” Mayfield-Smith said.

“She’s just stronger, and I think backing her up just took that edge off her, where she wasn’t throwing her head and carrying on.

“The owners wanted black type, and she’s now run in four black-type races here, won two, probably unlucky in another, and ran second last week in one. Her value as a broodmare is going to go up considerably.”

Bred by Donald and Meryn Hastie, Charmmebaby is by Charm Spirit out of the Zabeel mare Lithe, who has produced three other winners from her seven foals to race including the Listed New Zealand St Leger (2500m) winner Vikja King.

Charmmebaby was offered by Prima Park in Book 3 of Karaka 2018, where she was an $18,000 purchase by Brian Black and Robt Dawe. She is now raced by the Milligan family from Taree, who bought the mare online for A$14,000. Charmmebaby has now had a total of 32 starts for nine wins, eight placings and A$547,865 in stakes.

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