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18.
Octagonal
and Filante To Meet Again
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03/11/2002 |
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They
excited the crowd with some thrilling duels on the racetrack, now daughters of
Filante and Octagonal look set to fight out next Thursday’s Group 1 Victorian
Oaks at Flemington.
OCTAGONAL
The Octagonal filly Hierogram booked her ticket to the Victorian Oaks (G1) with
a fighting win in the $250,000 Group 2 Qantas – Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at
Flemington on Saturday. In a blanket finish Hierogram, who had been held up for
a run until halfway down the straight, battled to a half-head win over It’s
Who Deanie (Fuji Kiseki (JPN)-Deanie (US) by Key To Content (US)) with Lashed (Encosta
De Lago-Traffic Watch by Salieri (US)) a short-head back in third place. On the
heels of the placegetters were Bulla Borghese (Belong To Me (US)), Unzipped (Unbridled’s
Song (US)), Fuji Dancer (Fuji Kiseki (JPN)), Homecoming Queen (Danehill (US)),
and Milanova (Danehill (US)).
The progressive Hierogram has now won three successive races since being beaten
in a maiden at Kembla Grange on September 21. A stunning looking, rangy bay
Heirogram is the fourth live foal out of the Marscay mare Enshrine the winner of
two Sydney races and second behind fellow Marscay filly Pipiwar in the 1991 AJC
Silver Shadow Stakes (G2). In third place that day was the outstanding Bold
Promise (Luskin Star) who was later to earn fame as the dam of STC Golden
Slipper winner Merlene (Danehill (US)) and VRC Newmarket H. (G1) winner Miss
Pennymoney (Brocco (US)).
Hierogram will line up against the nominal favourite Macedon Lady in the Oaks. A
daughter of the champion galloper Filante, Macedon Lady has earned her high
rating with a fast finishing win in the MRC One Thousand Guineas (G1) and an
unlucky second to subsequent Victorian Derby winner Helenus in the Group 2 AAMI
Vase at Moonee Valley on October 26.
Two races after Hierogram’s win in the Wakeful, Octagonal’s outstanding son
Lonhro was back on his pedestal with a courageous win in the $500,000 Group 1
Thrifty – Mackinnon Stakes. The stunning near black four-year old was coming
off a disappointing sixth behind the champion Northerly (G1) in the W.S. Cox
Plate (G1). Winner of 13 of his 19 starts for earnings of over $2.2 million
Lonhro will now be sent for a well earned spell.
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