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Oldtime horse trainers used to say look for fillies with big ears.
They would have been delighted to have found Pussy Willow.
And they would have been skiting about how they found her after what can only be described as a sensational performance to win the $85,000 Little Avondale Stud Wakefield Stakes at Trentham on Saturday.
The freakish aspect of Pussy Willow, who is now two from two, is that she does the seemingly impossible with a minimum of fuss and effort. Sunday strolling.
The only one not going ga-ga after the stunning victory was trainer Stephen McKee.
And it wasn't a can't-get-excited-after-Sunline stance, it was an unshakeable faith in his filly.
McKee even went as far as saying pre-race he felt she would do exactly what she produced provided greenness didn't get the better of her.
As presenters gushed, McKee said calmly: "To be honest I thought she'd do that provided she didn't get lost coming down the chute.
"She actually did get lost in that early part of the race, but she was still able to get up and beat them. She's got a lot of ability."
In using the word lot in that context there is lot, then there is LOT.
"Nothing's going to beat her," is a statement you don't hear from Stephen McKee, nor his father Trevor.
There might have been times through Sunline's fabulous career when they felt that, but they never said it publicly.
Stephen McKee said that of Pussy Willow when asked if the filly might go forward to the two New Zealand juvenile group one races at Ellerslie and Awapuni.
"Nothing is going to beat her, so while she's not taking anything out of herself in her racing, she may as well keep going.
"We honestly didn't think she would make a 2-year-old and we only took her to the trials for education, but she was so impressive there we kept going."
Pussy Willow's dam Octapussy got to open company in New Zealand and was sent to Sydney to be trained where she won a welter on a rain-affected track before finishing second in the 2006 Doomben Cup.
Her granddam Dopff - named after a German wine - at times had barrier issues, but she ran a few spectacular times once she got out of them.
In December 1993, she won a Listed 1400m in a stunning 1.20.42.
Pussy Willow is raced by Auckland Racing Club board member Peter Walker in partnership with Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan.
The filly was offered for sale as a yearling in Sydney, but she did not encourage a bid.
"Sydney trainer John O'Shea wanted her and so did his owner, but his vet found some sort of an issue with her front x-rays and wouldn't let them buy her.
"I told the vet he was a bastard at the time, now I think he's a good guy. I've bought a case of Moet and I'm going to give it to him when he comes over with John for the sales this week.
"Tycoon Lil was a good mare for me, but she couldn't do what this filly can do."
The third spectacular performance after Guiseppina and Pussy Willow came from Ocean Park in winning the Phil Cataldo Wellington Stakes.
"I've been looking for my Jimmy [Choux] and I've found him," said excited rider Chad Ormsby.
Ormsby has done remarkably well getting his body to riding weight, but can't wait to retire and take up an already arranged training position.
That won't be happening while the Hong Kong-owned Ocean Park remains in New Zealand.
"It's a shame this has to come at the end of my career," said Ormsby.
Ocean Park has improved steadily for trainer Garry Hennessy, who also part-owns the talented 3-year-old.
He is bred from a Zabeel mare, so the Derby distance is unlikely to be an issue for him.