Yankee Rose produced an outstanding performance to deliver trainer David Vandyke a maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2016 Sires Produce Stakes at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Yankee Rose was far too good for her rivals in the 2016 Sires Produce Stakes at Royal Randwick this afternoon. Photo by: Steve Hart
Yankee Rose went into the Sires Produce Stakes as favourite following her first-up second place finish in the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) and she never looked like losing when jockey Zac Purton got her well off the rail at the top of the straight.
The daughter of All American cruised up to her rivals without being asked by an extra effort and she blew her rivals away when she got going at the 300 metre mark to record a very impressive victory.
Purton gave Yankee Rose the perfect ride in the Sires Produce Stakes, but he was quick to divert attention away from himself and to the outstanding training performance of David Vandyke as well as the numerous owners of the star filly.
“She has done a great job and it is great for David – this story is more about him and the owners then it is about me,” Purton said.
“He was a brave man to run her first-up in the Slipper and he presented her again today in great fashion.
“It is a great story there are so many owners from so many different areas and it just goes to show that if you want to have a share in a horse you never know what you are going to get and this is what racing is all about.
“Hopefully there are a few more stories like this in the years to come.”
Vandyke has battled drug addiction and mental illness during his time as a trainer and he hit some extreme lows, but he completed his incredible revival with the Sires Produce Stakes victory of Yankee Rose this afternoon.
The talented trainer, who is set to make the move to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland in August, was clearly emotional to have finally recorded a win at the highest level of racing and he was delighted to be able to do it at Royal Randwick.
“I am still numb and I can’t believe that I have actually won a Group 1,” Vandyke said.
“The Sires Produce Stakes is such a prestigious race and she is just an amazing filly.
“I was very nervous about how she would come through that because sometimes you don’t know how a horse is going to be second-up until they run.
“I was very happy with her this last week, she has done everything right and she was only a kilo lighter than she was going into the Slipper.
“I was confident that she would run a good race.
The support of my clients, my staff, those around me and the general racing public has just been amazing.”
Telperion produced another fast-finishing effort to finish second behind Yankee Rose, while Faraway Town rounded out the placings in a career best performance.
Yankee Rose will press on to the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick in a fortnight.
