Racing: Supermarket boss won't offer this special'

Anabandana ridden by James McDonald. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Supermarket boss Chris Grace's decision to turn down $250,000 for a maiden 2-year-old is starting to look like one of his smartest racing decisions yet.

The other was listening to a tip from his former refrigeration contractor Ken Beer to snap up Saturday's Stella Artois Eclipse Stakes winner Anabandana as a Gold Coast weanling.

Grace admitted that he ignored the pedigree pundit's advice two years back to buy Nacho Man outright for just $27,000, deterred by a pass recommendation of another trainer.

The Te Rapa New World owner later bought into a share of last year's Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes winner.

But Grace wasn't about to make the same mistake when Beer, who pores through hundreds of catalogues from the most obscure sales, alerted him to an Anabaa filly who might slip under buyers' guards.

The filly's cousin King's Rose was still months away from showing the kind of form that won her the 1000 Guineas and Saturday's Royal Stakes at Ellerslie.

But Grace liked the connection to group one blood in the United States and the filly's Nureyev dam Great Notice was already leaving winners.

His agent Marcus Corban paid just $26,000 at the Gold Coast sale, but Grace wasn't tempted by the $250,000 offer to sell a fortnight back, despite Anabandana returning just $5500 from her only two raceday starts.

The Don Sellwood-trained filly was desperately unlucky not to win both, and Grace, a fledging breeder with three broodmares at his property on the outskirts of Hamilton, was banking on black type ahead.

"It's hard to turn down big money but I'm a breeder as well, so it'd have to be serious money before I'd consider it," said Grace.

Anabandana had to be extra smart to win the $70,000 group three on Saturday for red-hot rider James McDonald.

They got further back than Sellwood wanted in the early rush then had to fight off the highly rated pacemaking favourite Super Easy in the straight.

Naturally, Grace would be keen to have another crack at the Manawatu Sires but, as always, is happy to leave the race plans to Sellwood.

"There's no better man with the fillies than Don Sellwood," said Grace, who has another unraced juvenile in the same stable.

"If you've got a filly you want to bring along nice and slow he's the guy."

Sellwood, who also won the Eclipse Stakes in 2005 with Pulcinella, was unsure on Saturday where he would start next with his latest star filly. Anabandana is not eligible for the Karaka Million at Ellerslie on January 30.

"She's a good horse; we'll just get her home and look after her and see what's coming," he said.

Sellwood admits he wasn't overwhelmed by her frame when he first saw Anabandana, who has since furnished into a striking athlete.

But even before she'd won her first trial in October last year she showed a ton of grit, qualities she needed to repeal a defiant Super Easy on Saturday.

Matamata trainer John Sargent said both his gallant runner-up and third-placed stablemate Savabill now go straight into the Karaka Million at the end of the month.