Breeder/owner, Jack Griffin and wife Anthea, were entitled to feel a pending sense of doom in Saturday’s Group Three Emirates Park Dark Jewel Classic over 1400m at Scone.
The Griffins mare, Daysee Doom – a firm favourite – had done everything that favourites are supposed to do and looked every inch the winner with 50 metres to go.
But that also appeared to be the case in her two previous outings when overhauled right on the wire by Zanbagh in the Group Two Emancipation Stakes at Randwick and then, at the end of April, by Shillelagh in the Group Three Godolphin Crown at Hawkesbury.
That said, Daysee Doom’s backers need not have worried, even when Prompt Response loomed in the shadows on Saturday. This was Daysee’s day.
Watching from his home in Perth, Griffin was happy that Daysee Doom had broken through for her first win at black type, but thought it was only just a matter of time.
“She’s been plagued by bad draws but everything seemed to go to plan on Saturday. It was great to get that stakes win,” Griffins points out. “The family has been quite successful … I raced her mother, See A Victory, who was only small but had plenty of heart, winning three and running third at stakes level in Perth.”
Involved with the banking and mining industries in Western Australia, but now retired, Griffin has raced and bred a number of horses in the past, but confines his interests to Daysee Doom these days.
“I had the Salieri mare, Antelliere, at one stage and bred Bluebird The Word who won a Group One in New Zealand, along with Porto Roca, who won the (Group One) Coolmore Classic and is the dam of Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso. She’s also the granddam of (2017 Group One winner) Silent Sedition.
“Unfortunately, Daysee Doom’s dam only produced the one runner. Her next foal was a Street Boss who died and then the mare died a few days after that.
“At least we’ve still got Daysee Doom.”
A 4YO mare by the Aquis Farm based, Domesday, Daysee Doom has won six of her 12 outings with three stakes placings and a solid fourth in the Group One Coolmore Classic behind Heavens Above in March.
“She (Daysee Doom) really deserved that win on Saturday,” AQUIS Farm’s Head of Nominations, Jonathan Davies enthused. “She was only just beaten in the Emancipation and has been a really consistent performer.
“Daysee Doom becomes Domesday’s 14th stakes winner and it was actually a great day for the stallion. Apart from Daysee, Ciaron Maher’s colt, Ruthven, was very, and I mean very, unlucky when second in the (Group One) South Australian Derby while Emphasis finished a good second in a Listed race in Brisbane.
“AQUIS purchased Domesday from Darley at the start of last year and he appears to be a great fit for Queensland breeders in particular. He doubled his book last spring to over 100 mares and the way he’s going at the moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up covering an even bigger book in 2017.”
Daysee Doom’s victory in the ‘Emirates Park’ Dark Jewel wasn’t lost on Davies either. Last month, AQUIS announced a partnership with the Hunter Valley nursery and also cheered on as the Emirates based, Artie Schiller, chimed in with a stakes winner via Good Standing in the Listed Queensland Day Stakes at Doomben.
“The association with Emirates has been well received and provides breeders with the best of both worlds … or should I say, best of both states,” Davies adds.
