Hungry Heart confirmed her status as the toughest staying filly in Australasia with a brilliant win in Saturday’s A$1 million Gr1 Australian Oaks at Randwick.
After back to back group wins, including a last start Vinery Stud Stakes success at Gr1 level, Hungry Heart proved much too good in a race where the best fillies of Australia and New Zealand clashed.
The Frankel filly went strongly to the line under proven big race rider Kerrin McEvoy to beat Duais by a length and a quarter, while Bargain was next home in third.
Hungry Heart is prepared by master horseman Chris Waller and he was quick to heap praise on the filly who has always raced against the best, including a Golden Slipper as a juvenile.
“These horses are the easy ones to train,” Waller said. “But all credit to her to be running in the early two-year-old races and now coming back with not only an Oaks, but two group ones in the space of a couple of weeks.”
“It’s a big deal. She’s a very special filly with an international pedigree and we’re very proud of her.”
“She’s matured with age, which you’d expect. She was a little on her toes as a two-year-old, just a baby learning what it is all about.”
“Now as a three-year-old she’s just a relaxed customer and full credit to Kerrin McEvoy who gave her a very good ride.”
“The Zhangs are great investors and it’s fantastic to win an Oaks for them,” Waller said of the filly who is raced by April Zhang.
“She was able to step nicely from the barriers and lob into a spot not too far from the front,” a delighted Kerrin McEvoy said.
“She was full of running from the 600m onwards. Credit to Chris Waller and his team.”
“She’s a sweet little filly who has gone from strength to strength this preparation,” McEvoy added.
Hungry Heart was a A$300,000 Gold Coast Yearling Sale buy for Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock Agency in 2019. She is a successful graduate for the Zhang family’s Yulong operation.
Yulong offered Harlech, carrying the Oaks heroine, at the 2017 National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast but she failed to reach her A$540,000 reserve.
One of 63 individual stakes winners by former world champion racehorse Frankel, Hungry Heart is the first named foal for her dam Harlech.
A daughter of Pivotal, Harlech is a once raced half sister to international group winner Maamora.
Hungry Heart’s second dam is the Newbury stakes winner Zoowraa (Azamour).
The win is the first at Classic level in Australia for a son or daughter of Frankel – who was unbeaten in his 14 lifetime starts for the late Sir Henry Cecil.
Winner: Hungry Heart
- Breeding: Frankel-Harlech (Pivotal)
- Race: ATC Australian Oaks G1 (2400m)
- Breeder: Yu Long Investments
- Sold for: A$300,000
- Sale: 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
- Vendor: Yulong
- Buyer: Belmont Bloodstock Agency
- Earnings: A$1,547,700
- Owner(s): Mrs Y Zhang
- Trainer: Chris Waller (Rosehill)
