The final Group 1 race of the Brisbane Winter Carnival and the Australian racing season, the Tattersall’s Tiara has been won by some of the country’s best fillies and mares throughout the last decade.
In anticipation of what is set to be another outstanding edition of the feature race at Doomben on Saturday afternoon, we have revisited the ten most-recent Tattersall’s Tiara winners, including the likes of Srikandi, Red Tracer and Yosei!
Stradbroke Handicap runner-up In Her Time is set to start the Tattersall’s Tiara a clear race favourite this year, but she is sure to face plenty of stiff competition from the likes of Eckstein, Bonny O’Reilly and Danish Twist.
Miss Cover Girl – 2016
Talented local Miss Cover Girl has been a strong and consistent performer throughout her entire racing career, but undoubtedly produced her best performance to be crowned the winner in last year’s edition of the Tattersall’s Tiara. Saddled by Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida, the Monashee Mountain mare announced herself to the greater Australian racing community when she beat a smart field to the line in the 2015 edition of the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m) during The Championships at Randwick. Having steadily built to the task last winter, Miss Cover Girl was sent odd at odds of $21 to win the Tattersall’s Tiara, but used the full width of the Eagle Farm track to her advantage and stormed home to beat resounding favourite Azkadellia on the line.
Srikandi – 2015
Prepared by Ciaron Maher in Victoria, Srikandi was a star performer in Queensland through two outstanding winter preparations and posted the second of her two Group 1 triumphs in the 2015 Tattersall’s Tiara. Posting five-consecutive race wins before running third in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) as a three-year-old in 2014, the Dubawi mare returned to racing in 2015 for a smart win in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m), but failed to fire in either of the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) or Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m). Re-capturing her best form to post a dominant win in the Stradbroke Handicap, run over the 1350m course at Doomben in 2015, Srikandi repeated that effort in the Tattersall’s Tiara a fortnight later, on the first and only occasion that a Group 1 race has been contested on the Gold Coast.
Cosmic Endeavour – 2014
Tough mare Cosmic Endeavour capped an outstanding three-year-old campaign with her first win at the highest level in the Tattersall’s Tiara. Having beaten a strong field to the line in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) in April, the Northern Meteor mare overcoming a luckless run in transit to finish third in the Group 3 Darley Crown (1300m) at Hawkesbury before returning to winning form in the Scone Guineas (1400m). Repeating that effort to beat a talented field in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m), Cosmic Endeavour was led to the fore of the Tattersall’s Tiara field by Tommy Berry and worked to the line well to claim a half-length win over Angel Of Mercy. Cosmic Endeavour continued to enjoy plenty of success through her subsequent preparations and added a win over Catkins and Criterion in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) to her CV in 2015.
Red Tracer – 2013
Seasons prior to Winx taking the mantle, outstanding mare Red Tracer was a stable star for Chris Waller and claimed a dominant win in Tattersall’s Tiara in 2013. Following a lacklustre run for fifteenth behind Sacred Falls in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m), the Dane Shadow mare responded in style with a smart win in the Dane Ripper Stakes upon arriving in Brisbane, before flying home to beat the likes of Streama and Floria to the line by close to three lengths in the final Group 1 race of the winter. Later that year, Red Tracer held on to beat stable mate Catkins in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington and ended her career with an outstanding record of fifteen wins and fourteen minors from thirty-eight competitive starts.
Pear Tart – 2012
Pear Tart was reasonably inconsistent throughout her entire racing career, but capped a strong 2012 Brisbane Winter Carnival campaign by winning the Tattersall’s Tiara. Having won a pair of minor Eagle Farm sprints before making a successful transition to black type racing with a win in the Dane Ripper Stakes, the Dehere mare was only rated an outside chance of winning the Tattersall’s Tiara and jumped at a $15 quote. Having stalked the pace through, jockey Jeff Lloyd produced the filly after straightening and she took advantage of her light weight to hit the line half a length ahead of Skyerush and a talent-rich field. Pear Tart was saddled by John Thompson for the enigmatic racing personality Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm.
Yosei – 2011
Classy mare Yosei was a strong and consisntent performer throughout her entire racing career and posted her third career Group 1 win in the 2011 Tattersall’s Tiara, with Michelle Payne in the saddle. Having won the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) as a two-year-old and the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) in 2010, the Invincible Spirit mare took a couple of runs to find condition upon resuming in 2011, but appeared as though she would simply face too great a task in the Tiara after she finished fourteenth in the Dane Ripper Stakes. Settled within the field by Payne, Yosei found a gap between runners with 300m to run and made it count; savaging the line to win the race by a neck to Beaded.
Melito – 2010
Consistent mare Melito was arguably the start performer of the 2010 autumn and winter and capped her season with an outstanding win in the Tattersall’s Tiara. Having won the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) second-up in autumn, the daughter of Redoute’s Choice finished in the minors in each of the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m), BTC Cup, Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke Handicap at her next four starts. Backed into outright favouritism in Tattersall’s Tiara betting markets, Melito immediately took up the running and never appeared in doubt; finding the line a length ahead of closest rival Wealth Princess. Melito was retired into a career as a broodmare in 2011 with an outstanding record of five wins and thirteen minors, through only twenty-six starts.
Russeting – 2009
Russeting was transferred to the care of Australian legend Bart Cummings only weeks prior to winning the 2009 Tattersall’s Tiara. Saddled by local horseman Donald Baker through the early stages of her career, the Commands mare won the Dalby Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and the Listed Juanmo Stakes (1200m) upon resuming in 2009, before running third in each of the Listed Silk Stocking (1200m) and the Glenlogan Park Stakes. Contesting her last start for Baker when fourth in the Dane Ripper Stakes, Russeting clearly relished a change in training methods and the addition of Michael Cahill to the saddle for the Tiara, when she flew home to post undoubtedly the biggest and best win of her career.
Absolut Glam – 2008
Absolut Glam delivered Victorian trainer Danny O’Brien several outstanding results throughout her twenty-two career starts, however none better than her 2008 Tattersall’s Tiara win. The Snowland mare had won both the Listed Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) and the Group 2 Thoroughbreds Classic (1500m) at the beginning of her campaign and had gone extremely close throughout her four following starts, which included an impressive fourth in the Stradbroke Handicap. Having firmed into Tattersall’s Tiara favouritism off the back of her campaign, Absolut Glam was able to use the ideal barrier 5 to her advantage and took a position close to the pace from the outset, before making light work of her rivals in the final straight.
Nova Star – 2007
Kelly Schweida has led the way for the locals in the Tattersall’s Tiara throughout the last decade and the Eagle Farm trainer enjoyed success in the race’s 2007 edition with Nova Star. The brave mare won the Silk Stocking on the Gold Coast at her fourth start in 2007 and while failing to figure in the Glenlogan Park Stakes, again responded well to win the Group 2 QTC Cup (1300m). Having worked to the line well for fifth in the Stradbroke Handicap, the daughter of Iglesia was given a gem of a ride by the late Stathi Katsidis in the Tattersall’s Tiara to beat Fashions Afield in a photo.