Schilldora wins the Furphy Handicap at Morphettville (Atkins Photography)
It could hardly have come at a better time. Seriously.
The Richard and Chantelle Jolly trained, Schilldora, has been a consistent performer for the stable with five wins and nine other top four finishes from 21 outings, but had unfortunately been missing from the winners’ stall since October 2018.
The Artie Schiller 4YO turned that around on Saturday though with an impressive display in the Furphy Handicap over 1050m at Morphettville, hitting the front with 200m to go and holding on gamely from fast finishing rivals … much to the delight of the father/daughter training duo (and obviously Chantelle’s grandmother, a part-owner of the mare).
But while any win is cause for celebration, this victory has considerably greater currency as Schilldora is due to be sold this week on the Inglis July Digital Sale platform.
Yet, here’s the twist.
“She (Schilldora) was originally entered for this week’s Gold Coast Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale,” Chantelle Jolly explains. “However, due to uncertainty over travel restrictions, courtesy of the coronavirus, we decided against transporting her north.
“Then we were under the impression the Gold Coast sale would be conducted online, so we kept Schilldora in the catalogue and set her for Saturday’s race.
“Eventually we got word that the sale would be live, but by then it was too late to send her up and now she’ll be sold online through Inglis.
“Either way, it’s a great way to go into a sale – online or live!”
Bred by Emirates Park, Schilldora is among 700 winners for Victoria’s Stockwell Thoroughbreds based, Artie Schiller, and is from the Hussonet mare, Hussidora, a daughter of Irish stakes placed, Alisidora, and close relation to European champions Commander in Chief, Warning and Rainbow Quest.
With only three to race, Hussidora boasts a 100% strike rate and includes the stakes placed Dream Ahead filly, Dreams of Platinum.
“Schilldora’s owners have been with the stable for a long time but they’re racehorse owners, not breeders, so the decision has been made as a group to sell her,” Jolly continues. “Apart from Saturday’s win, she’s well bred and ran third in a stakes race in Adelaide, along with two top four Group finishes in Melbourne. She was only a cheap yearling too and has won nearly $200,000 in prizemoney.
(Sold at the 2016 Inglis Weanling Sale for just $7,000 to Mario and Jenny Cesnik’s Riverina Downs Stud, Schilldora was pinhooked to the 2017 Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale and sold to the Jollys for $25,000).
“Schilldora had a few niggling issues with her feet which contributed to her run of outs, but she’s a bit of a favourite … she was one of our first winners after we started training together.”
With around 40 in work, Richard and Chantelle have enjoyed Group Two success with Kemalpasa and the Group winner Hard Empire, while Richard previously saddled up Group One South Australian Derby winner, Kushadasi and was a leading jockey for 15 years – booting home 800 winners – before taking out his trainers’ licence.
While the Jollys will remain well and truly socially distanced from the Gold Coast complex this week, Hussidora’s new owner, Bell River Thoroughbreds, has a demanding fortnight ahead.
Bell River purchased Hussidora – in foal to 2YO Group One winner Invader – for $62,000 at the 2019 Inglis Great Southern Sale.
Now based at Glen William in NSW, Bell River Thoroughbreds can lay claim to farm graduates such as Extreme Choice, Ace High, I Am Excited, Prophet’s Thumb, Faraway Town and Flippant, with principal, Andrew Ferguson, excited about the prospects for Hussidora’s most recent arrival.
“It was too late to put Hussidora back in foal last spring and she’s likely to head to Spirit of Boom this season, but the Invader colt she produced for us is an absolute cracker and will be entered for next year’s Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale.”
Bell River Thoroughbreds has just the sole entry for the 659-strong Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, which commenced 2pm Monday and features Sunlight, Invincibella, Unforgotten, Viddora et al, but Bell River will also offer eight weanlings (30-31 July) and three yearlings (3-4 August).
The National sales series concludes with the Racehorse section on 4 August.
