Exciting Group Two Winner for So You Think
The Group II ATC Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday was won in sensational style by lightly raced filly Nakeeta Jane (3f So You Think x Lustre Lady, by Flying Spur).
Prepared by Mark Newnham, the daughter of So You Think showed serious potential last spring when finishing a close third in the Group I ATC Flight Stakes at just her third start.
Sent for a spell straight after that, she has obviously matured over the summer and the raw potential she displayed last year has now seen her blossom into a genuinely top class filly.
Big and powerful with the long stride of her sire, Nakeeta Jane was ridden just off the pace by Josh Parr and unleashed a sizzling burst to overhaul progressive filly Madam Rouge to win by a neck with Group I winners El Dorado Dreaming and Oohood further back in the field.
"She's top-class, there's no doubt about that," Newnham said.
"When she was able to travel and take up a good spot, I knew she'd be hard to beat.
"The amount of improvement she rapidly showed from last preparation, we weren't game to run her in anything under 1400 metres last campaign because I wasn't sure she'd keep up (with the field).
"But she's shown in her work and her trials this time in that she can actually jump and travel, and I think it's been just a matter of her maturing.
"To do what she's doing in four starts, we've got a good road ahead of us and it ends in the Oaks."
A homebred for the Towell family of GT Park, Nakeeta Jane has won two of four starts earning over $200,000 in prizemoney.
She is the 15th stakes-winner for So You Think and is best of five winners from five foals to race from stakes-placed Flying Spur mare Lustre Lady, whose imported dam Lucky Lady (GB) is a daughter of Group I Epsom Oaks winner Jet Ski Lady.
With a pedigree like that and a sire like So You Think, it’s no wonder connections are thinking Oaks!
Lustre Lady has been a regular visitor to Coolmore sires and has a yearling filly by Adelaide, a colt foal by Pierro and is now back in foal to So You Think, who had a winning double at Randwick.
Earlier in the day his promising four year-old You Make Me Smile (4g So You Think x Bianca Jewel, by Lion Heart) scored a bold front running win in the Benchmark 88 event over 1300 metres.
Prepared by Jason Coyle, You Make Me Smile has really hit his straps since being gelded and has now his past three starts in explosive fashion indicating Black Type races will be within his scope going forward.
Retained to race by his Queensland based breeder Joe Rapisarda, You Make Me Smile has won six of 14 starts earning over $200,000 in prizemoney and is the first winner for Mr Rapisarda’s former very smart stakes-winning mare Bianca Jewel, a half-sister to stakes-winner Kiss Me Katy.
Bianca Jewel has a weanling colt by Pride of Dubai and is in foal to Vancouver.
10 time Group I winner So You Think was super popular with breeders last spring covering 225 mares at a fee of $44,000, which is his biggest ever book of mares.