Nurse Kitchen Upset 2016 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic Winner

The David Brideoake-trained, Peter Moody-owned Nurse Kitchen showed a tremendous late burst of speed to score an upset Moonee Valley Fillies Classic 2016 win on Cox Plate Day.

Upset 2016 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic winner Nurse Kitchen shapes up as a nice Oaks hope next year. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

There were plenty of better fancied and better performed three-year-old fillies in this year’s $200,000 Group 2 P.W. Glass Fillies Classic (1600m) including the Thousand Guineas runner-up I Am A Star and Flight Stakes third placegetter Sezanne.

In an out-of-nowhere display however it was Brideoake’s lightly-raced daughter of Savabeel who presented late and had the scintillating turn of foot to edge out her rivals for the Group 2 win at just her third start.

Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, who was the third jockey in as many career runs to jump on her back, he celebrated a third Moonee Valley Fillies Classic winning ride with the boilover result after a patient ride in a moderately run race.

“She’s only lightly-raced so well done to David and the team,” McEvoy said post-win.

“She was jumping sharply in trip, she ran over 1200m last time, and she really enjoyed it today.

“She’s got a nice amount of ability and was strong the last bit.”

From the outside alley the Chris Waller-trained favourite Sezanne was a length away slow and was ridden cold by Hugh Bowman, who lost the Tesio Stakes on beaten favourite Lady Le Fay on the rails one race earlier on the card.

Away well were Alaskan Sun and Classic Diva up front leading, while I Am A Star held her place on the rail in the first four early on.

Also travelling up close on the speed in third was Kiwi galloper La Luna Rossa; Bowman keeping Sezanne switched off out the back last of all waiting for the looping run.

She was still last coming around the turn, while I Am A Star dashed to the lead on the straight with the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained Exocet, who had been ridden for luck on the inside, following her through.

Sezanne was travelling sweetly and looked the winner flashing home late, but Nurse Kitchen came from nowhere and burst through for the win.

In the end the Moonee Valley Fillies Classic trifecta was Nurse Kitchen ($18) at the double-figure odds from the beaten favourite Sezanne ($2.50), with the Shane Nichols-trained I Am A Star ($3.40) having no answer for the first two in her third place finish.

“She’s a nice filly and she’s always shown us ability,” retired former champion trainer and part-owner Moody said of Nurse Kitchen after the victory.

“Thanks to Kerrin for a wonderful ride.”

Moody said it was likely Nurse Kitchen would be paddock-bound now and present as a genuine ATC Oaks hope in Sydney during next year’s autumn carnival.

“She’s got a pretty deep pedigree,” he said.

“I think she’ll be a lovely staying filly and hopefully she can develop into an Oaks filly for David and the team.”

Brideoake was also thrilled with the effort, admitting he had been quietly confident Nurse Kitchen would surprise her rivals, and said he would confirm plans of whether or not to spell her after seeing how she pulled up.

“She’s just a lovely, promising filly,” he said.

“She’s very lightly raced with lots of upside.

“I think we’ll just tread quietly. I think she’ll be really there in the autumn, we’ve always thought she’s a little immature and will take a little bit of racing.

“We’ll decide in the next few days if that’s enough for her this spring and that might be the case.”

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2016 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic Results & Finishing Order

Moonee Valley Race 6 – 22/10/2016