Top jockey James McDonald guides Atishu to a comfortable two length win in last Saturday's Group 2 A$304,425 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, in Melbourne.
Dannevirke's Dean Shuker celebrated his biggest success as a racehorse owner when Atishu returned to top form with a dominant win in last Saturday's Group 2 A$304,425 Matriarch Stakes on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.
Shuker owns a five per cent share in the daughter of Savabeel and the winning stake for the 2000m event was A$184,425.
It took Atishu's total stake earnings to just under A$600,000 and the mare now boasts a record of seven wins, two seconds and five thirds from only 26 starts.
However, it had been more than 12 months since her last victory, in the Group 3 A$161,600 Bill Ritchie Stakes (1400m) in Sydney on September 18 last year.
"It's been a long time between drinks but it looks like she's back to her best," a delighted Shuker said this week.
"She's had a lot of problems with wet tracks over there and other things but she was pretty impressive last Saturday."
Shuker wasn't on course to witness the win but said he got a huge thrill when watching it on Trackside TV.
"It was a pretty big thing for me and for little old Dannevirke."
He is one of 19 shareholders in the mare who was a $260,000 purchase from the 2019 Karaka yearling sales and races in the familiar blue and white Go Racing colours, set up by Albert Bosma.
Atishu had put the writing on the wall when finding the line well for fifth in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on the Flemington track the previous Saturday and the step up in distance also suited her.
The Chris Waller-trained mare was sent out a $2.50 favourite and her supporters had little to worry about as she was expertly handled by ex-pat New Zealand jockey James McDonald.
Appreciating the good tempo set by pacemaker Sirileo Miss, Atishu settled kindly in fourth position before lodging a claim at the top of the home straight. She showed great acceleration to quickly rein in the leaders and raced clear for a comfortable two length win.
Whilst Saturday's Group 2 victory is Atishu's best win to date the mare has always shown above average ability and won four races in a row when trained in New Zealand by Stephen Marsh, the last of them being in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton.
"She's always been unlucky and threatened to win a decent one and she's finally got a good prize," Chris Waller said.
"Everything's sort of gone wrong with her over the last 18 months and even in the Empire Rose Stakes she didn't have a lot of luck, so this was always a great race as a back-up plan and she has won over 2000m in New Zealand before. We finally got her up to that trip and she certainly appreciated it."
McDonald said the speed of the race definitely suited Atishu.
"She relaxed well. The tempo was on and she travelled beautifully into the race. She felt like the winner a long way from home and she would have looked like it too.
"She was building towards that solid performance, her run had the writing on the wall last start and backing up at 2000 metres, and being by Savabeel, what more could you ask for?''
Shuker said there is a possibility Atishu could have one more run this spring, in next Saturday's A$500,000 Ballarat Cup (2000m), but it was more likely she would now be spelled until next year.
"We'd like to bring her back in the autumn and try and get a Group 1 win with her," he added.
Atishu is not the first thoroughbred Shuker has had a share in. He was part of a Go Racing syndicate that raced one from the Awapuni stable of Lisa Latta a few years ago but it failed to reach its potential on the racetrack so the syndicate disbanded.
Keen to get back into racing again, Shuker said he just happened to be home watching the 2019 Karaka yearling sales when a filly by Savabeel out of the No Excuse Needed mare Posy came into the ring, offered by Waikato Stud.
He could see David Ellis from Te Akau Racing was keen to buy her and so was the Go Racing team and when it was knocked down to the latter for $260,000 he was quickly on the phone to secure a five per cent share.
Atishu's dam Posy won two races from a limited racing career and is a sister to the former champion three-year-old filly and Group 1 winner Daffodil.
Atishu is also a sister to the Waikato Stud-raced Mazzolino, a smart three-year-old who has been placed twice at stakes level from the Cambridge stable of Stephen Marsh.
Lowry has a big day ahead
Hastings thoroughbred trainer Guy Lowry could be in for a big day this Saturday.
Lowry is a part-owner of talented galloper Waihaha Falls, who is down to contest one of two races at today's Newcastle meeting. He will also line up three runners on the last day of the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton.
Waihaha Falls is prepared by Sydney trainer John O'Shea and is fourth emergency for the A$1million The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle.
The five-year-old son of Sacred Falls is 22nd in order of entry with a capacity field of 16 runners, so O'Shea has also entered him for a A$150,000 Benchmark 88 Handicap (1300m) on the same card.
Waihaha Falls, bred and raced by Lowry in partnership with Mark and Garry Chittick of Waikato Stud, is out of the Scaredee Cat mare Mink who won three races when prepared by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen.
After a slashing last start run for fourth in the A$2million Sydney Stakes (1200m), Waihaha Falls is ready to peak and O'Shea is confident of a big performance from the horse this weekend.
"I definitely have the right horse to be effective, but whether he gets a run in The Hunter is another thing," O'Shea said.
"He would have got into last year's race, but this year's event is a bit stronger with a lot more participants.
"We were very happy with his last start effort and, with a bit of luck, he might have been right in the finish.
"We have him in another race on Saturday so he will definitely be going to the races but obviously our preference is to run in The Hunter."
Kerrin McEvoy is on standby to ride Waihaha Falls in The Hunter, a race O'Shea won last year with New Zealand-bred Lost And Running.
Should Waihaha Falls not make The Hunter field, apprentice Reece Jones will ride him in the Benchmark race and claim a 1.5kg allowance.
Lowry will also be concentrating on today's final day of the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton where he has horses entered for feature races.
The Lowry-trained Can I Get An Amen will make a fresh start in the Group 3 $120,000 Lindauer Stewards Stakes (1200m) where she has drawn the ace barrier and will be ridden by in-form jockey Craig Grylls.
The Hallowed Crown mare has not raced for seven months but has been working well in trackwork and was impressive when winning a 1000m Foxton trial on Friday of last week.
She won the Listed Lighting Stakes (1200m) at Trentham back in March this year.
The Lowry-trained Herself is entered for two races and is first emergency for the Group 3 $300,000 New Zealand Cup (3200m), where she has drawn barrier six and will be ridden by Kozzi Asano.
The Redwood mare was an unlucky fifth in last Saturday's Metropolitan Handicap (2500m), where she was knocked off balance in the home straight. She is also entered for the $70,000 Rating 82 race over 2500m, if she doesn't get a start in the Cup.
Lowry will also line up Shezzacatch in a $60,000 Rating 75 race over 1200m, where she has drawn well at barrier five and will be ridden by Samantha Wynne.
Shezzacatch could only manage sixth when fresh up over 1200m at Riccarton on October 22 but needed the run and got tightened for room inside the last 100 metres.
"She hadn't had a trial before that race because of all the wet tracks so she was a bit underdone," Lowry said.
Shezzacatch certainly possesses plenty of ability, as she showed when making a winning debut in the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Hastings as a three-year-old.
Likely mating for class mare
Star New Zealand-bred mare Verry Elleegant is likely to be mated with Irish-based stallion Sea The Stars.
Part-owner Brae Sokolski said, although the date was yet to be confirmed, the ownership group had a keen interest in sending their 11-time Group 1 winner to the world's best thoroughbred of 2009, who has since sired the likes of European stars Baaeed and Stradivarius among his 19 Group 1 winners.
Sea The Stars, a six-time Group 1 winner and half-brother to the great Galileo, stands at the Aga Khan's Giltown Stud in Ireland for a fee of 150,000 euro.
"She'll be served to northern hemisphere time and while no final decision has been made on the stallion, Sea The Stars is probably the most likely suitor," Sokolski said of the daughter of Zed.
"Then we will decide whether to keep her there (Europe) or bring her back to Australia."