It doesn’t carry Black Type, but with $2million in prizemoney ATC The Kosciuszko (1200m) is the country sprint at Randwick on Everest Day that every bush trainer wants to win and on Saturday it was Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich claiming victory with blueblood I Am Invincible mare Chains of Love.
Last seen running third in a Listed race at Flemington back in July, Chains of Love has been given a solid grounding at the trials for a first up tilt at riches with her trainers leaving no stone unturned in her preparation.
Drawn out in 12, Chains of Love was taken back by Zac Lloyd, but could not get in so travelled deep throughout but kept a good rhythm and when he asked for the supreme effort she delivered.
The mare knuckled down to her task over the final 100m to grab Band of Brothers and win by a neck.
“It was a great win. We were five deep from the start and I thought we had no hope. It was an amazing effort by our horse,” said Paul Messara.
“We set her up for this race a long time ago and it is nice when a plan comes off. She is a trouble-free mare, straight forward to train, but we have been patient with her, she is lightly raced with a lot of upside.”
A homebred for Arrowfield that was retained to race by her breeders, John Messara, John Leaver and Alan Jones, Chains of Love has the overall record of four wins and two placings from seven starts with earnings topping $1.1million.
She is a full sister to stakes-winner Waltz on By and half-sister to Group II placed Duvana onbe of six winners from six foals to race from Group I MRC Thousand Guineas winner Stay With Me.
Stay With Me was bred by the same partnership at Arrowfield and she is the best of seven winners from Champion 2YO and 3YO Filly Miss Finland, whose G1 wins came in the Golden Slipper, Australian Guineas, Thousand Guineas, VRC Oaks and Arrowfield Stud Stakes.
The win of Chains of Love has kept Yarraman Park’s champion sire I Am Invincible riding high on the Australian General Sires List in third place with $5.2million seasonal earnings.
