A half-sister by Hinchinbrook to former star mare Hot Danish, exciting filly Manaya scored a scintillating debut win the Listed Woodlands Stakes at Scone on Saturday. Slowly away in a big field of 16, the Michael Costa trained filly was allowed to find her feet by Lester Grace, but when angled into the clear out wide turning for home produced a barnstorming finish to claim victory. Giving away a start and race experience to her rivals, Manaya was a class above and set a new race record in the 1100 metre dash that was also won last year by another Hinchinbrook filly in Flippant. “She’s just got so much raw ability and when you look at her in the yard you can see she still has so much strengthening up to do,” said an elated Michael Costa. “I told Lester to just let her cruise, wherever that may be and if she was within six lengths of them at the turn she’d be hard to beat… she can break 10.” Manaya produced that sizzling change of gear when it mattered, charging home from a clear second last on the turn to win by a length beating the Godolphin fillies Raiment and Nonpareil. “She’s a quality horse as we saw at the trials and she proved that today,” said Lester Grace. “She’s got a great turn of foot and just does it so easy.” A $65,000 Inglis Easter purchase for her trainer and partners from the Holbrook Thoroughbreds draft, Manaya is a half-sister to $2.3 million earner and dual Group I winner Hot Danish, who died before going to stud as the result of complications from a leg infection. Manaya is the fifth winner for Zephyr Sip mare Hot ‘n’ Breezy, who has a weanling filly by Nicconi and was covered last spring by Star Witness. Manaya is the sixth stakes-winner for Yarraman Park’s terrific young sire Hinchinbrook, who was Champion First Season Sire last year and is on track to claim the same title this year for the Second Season division. A three-quarter brother by Fastnet Rock to Snitzel, Hinchinbrook has had a fee increase this year and stands at $38,500. He posted two additional new stakes performers on Saturday with progressive three year-old Brazen third in the Group III BRC Rough Habit Plate at Doomben and two year-old filly Nina Peak third in the Listed SAJC Oaklands Plate in Adelaide.
