County Kilkenny in Ireland saw yet another Northern Hemisphere success for the Kieswetter and Heffer family racing partnership at the scenic Gowran Park on Tuesday when the Barnane Stud-bred Cheeky Wink won smartly at just her second outing.
Racing in the silks of Barnane Stud, in partnership with Owen Heffer, the Johnny Murtagh-trained Cheeky Wink was never out of touch with the leaders under Ben Coen, before accelerating smartly to beat the 10-1 Total Look, with the Joseph O’Brien trained odds-on favourite Soul Of Spain beaten into third.
Ben Coen has Cheeky Wink in control to beat Total Look (Pic – Supplied)
After a good fifth on her mile debut, the emphatic victory over 300m extra here suggests much better things lie ahead for the daughter of Darley’s royally bred Derby winner, Masar (New Approach).
The winner’s South African-bred dam Smiling Blue Eyes hails from a classic Ridgemont family and was lightly raced at home and in Dubai.
She won the 2016 Gr3 Fillies Mile, before her career peak success when overcoming an impossible draw of 16 out in the wilderness, to score an eyecatching victory in the 2017 Gr2 Gauteng Guineas.
A half-sister to the Jallad stallion Russian Sage, Smiling Blue Eyes is by Ridgemont’s iconic late stallion Dynasty (Fort Wood) is out of the five-time winning Badger Land mare, Sage Blue – who won from a mile to 2000m.
With loads of stamina on both sides of her pedigree, and a clear touch of class about her, one wonders where to now for the aptly named Cheeky Wink?
Cheeky Wink’s happy team! (Pic – Supplied)
Interesting to note that she holds entries for the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas to be run at The Curragh on 26 May and the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic to be run at the same venue of her Tuesday victory, on 3 June 2024.
Cheeky Wink’s success comes hot on the heels of the Barnane Stud and Hollywood Syndicate owned grey Il Etait Temps who was victorious the Close Brothers Manifesto Gr1 Novices’ Chase at the Grand National Festival just weeks back.
