Camarilla Provides Elusive Quality With Aussie Group I

Camarilla supplied sire Elusive Quality   with his first Australian group I when she powered home to win the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes (Aus-I) at Randwick on April 7.

The Darley-bred filly also completed an unusual group I double for Bob Ingham’s Crown Lodge string and again vindicated an astute decision by her conditioner, John Hawkes.

Camarilla is from the first southern generation of Elusive Quality, the Gone West son’s grade I winners in his homeland, $7.6 million winner Smarty Jones   and Elusive City.

Buying for Ingham’s Woodland Stud, the Trevor-Lobb and his crew plucked the 130th Sires’ Produce winner from the Darley draft at the 2006 Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Purchase price for the third foal from Camarena was AUS$900,000. Camarena became one of Danehill’s 80 group I winners in defeating the males in the Queensland Derby (Aus-I).

Later at the same sale, Woodlands also harvested another filly at $900,000, this one by Danehill son Flying Spur from a daughter of Dehere.

That filly, Forensics, won the AUS$3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (Aus-I) on March 31.

Forensics only squeezed into the 16th and final Slipper slot when Hawkes withdrew Camarilla at the final field deadline.

Come Derby day Forensics was the filly who stayed in her stall as Camarilla rushed home to win the Sires’ by a widening two lengths. A heavy oval saw 1:25.1 required for the 1,400 meters.

She might have also drawn the "short" straw in that at $450,000, the Sires is worth less than a seventh of the Slipper purse, but the distance appeared more suitable.

The Darren Beadman partnered filly ran as a 22-10 elect on the back of two solid late finishes at 1,200 meters. Beadman and Hawkes combined to win the Australian Derby (Aus-I) with Fiumicino one race later.

Meurice (4-1) ran right up to his Slipper third to finish second, the Strategic colt a neck in advance of Sashenka (16-1) after racing wide throughout.

The third-placed filly is from the first Australian crop of the Gainesway rostered Orientate  .

The Mt. Livermore son worked two seasons at Arrowfield with 41 covers in 2003 and 58 the following year.

At Darley’s Australian base, Elusive Quality has covered between 83 (in 2003 when still at Gainesway) and 99 mares in four seasons. He is certain to return this year.

The other juvenile stakes winner for the late developing track performer is Listen Here, in Adelaide’s Cinderella Stakes.

Camarilla also won the listed BD Prelude on her way to a luckless fourth in the Blue Diamond (Aus-I) and second in the Magic Night (Aus-II).

From five starts she has amassed $425,000 with a promise of much more in her classic year, in which she would seem to have more scope than Forensics.