New Aussie Stakes-Winner for Holy Roman
Promising filly Octavia (3f Holy Roman Emperor x Filming, by Brocco) captured the Listed MRC Kevin Hayes Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
A lightly raced daughter of Holy Roman Emperor, the Mike Moroney trained Octavia was having her first crack at a stakes race and rose to the challenge.
She travelled well for Kerrin McEvoy and outpointed seasoned stakes filly Members Joy in the run to the line to win the 1200 metre sprint by a short head, taking her overall record to three wins and three placings from seven starts with prizemoney in excess of $150,000.
“Up until about six weeks ago I still owned 80% of her as she was very slow to sell,” Moroney revealed.
“She’s gradually been sold out since then and now I own none of her, but she has a great group of owners and they’ve already planned the dinner tonight!”
Octavia was purchased by Mike Moroney’s bloodstock agent brother Paul for $42,000 from the Newgate Farm draft at the 2011 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
“She was a lovely bodied filly and we always liked her, but she chipped a bone in her knee which is what stopped her racing at two,” Moroney said.
Octavia is the best of four winners from winning Brocco mare Filming, a half-sister to Group III winner Real Mak from former slick juvenile Paklani. The family also features South African Group I winners Zirconeum and Stellite, as well as talented Sydney stakes-winner Jersey Lilly.
Octavia is the 23rd stakes-winner worldwide for Danehill’s Group I winning son Holy Roman Emperor, whose last crop of Australian bred progeny are yearlings.