Racing: Bary to debut Jimmy Choux filly in Wellesley

John Bary says it's a big step up for the Choux filly. Photo / Paul Taylor

John Bary will take a Jimmy Choux to the races tomorrow.

The Hastings horseman trains Shezachoux, a filly from Jimmy Choux's first crop, who will make her race debut in the Listed Wellesley Stakes at Trentham.

Jimmy Choux was the horse who propelled Bary into the limelight early in his training career, with the Thorn Park colt winning 12 races and earning $3.6 million in stakes.

Jimmy Choux's five Group One wins included the New Zealand Derby, Rosehill Guineas and Two Thousand Guineas and four years ago he ran second in the Cox Plate, after winning two of the three legs of the Hawke's Bay triple crown. He now stands at Rich Hill Stud and has had early success as a sire, with What Choux Want winning at Riccarton on debut this month.

Shezachoux has not had a trial but has shown sufficient promise at jumpouts to warrant a crack at the Wellesley.

"This will be a big step up for her and the horses with raceday experience will be hard to beat," Bary said. "But she has done well in all her jumpouts and while I've been looking for any excuse not to start her, I can't come up with one."

Rider Rosie Myers also provided encouragement after riding Shezachoux in trackwork on Tuesday.

"Rosie helped talk me into running. The filly is eligible for the Karaka Million and they pay $1000 back to 10th in the Wellesley and that could be the difference between getting a run [at Ellerslie] or not."

Shezachoux has also been a galloping companion for stablemate and fellow juvenile Hugo The Boss, who won well at Tauherenikau on debut this month.

Bary has four horses from Jimmy Choux's first crop, including Chouxperb, a gelding he bred and part-owns.

"It is kind of cool to have some of his stock."

Bary's stable star, Recite, is a form runner for the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate at Trentham. The five-year-old has won three of her four starts at Trentham and has produced two excellent runs in a new campaign.

She was only a nose away from her Trentham race rival Allez Eagle when resuming, over 1400m at Hastings, and finished a brave second, behind Kisses, in the Taranaki Breeders' Stakes (1400m) a week later, after being trapped three-wide in the open.

"She had a good blow after Hawera and that got her second-up run out of the way," Bary said.

"She's a big, strong girl now and eating well and holding her condition." NZ Racing Desk