The cleverly named Swinging Queen took full advantage of a perfect trip to break her maiden status in the Listed $100,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final for two-year-old fillies at Menangle on Saturday.
Starting from the No.7 gate, the King Of Swing filly settled down in the one-out one-back trail before mounting her winning rally rounding the home turn.
The Blake Fitzpatrick trained filly eventually prevailed in a three-way photo over her stablemate Sophies Wish and the public elect Peachesncream in 1:55.5 for the flying mile.
Swinging Queen is the first APG winner brought out by Manton (near Yass) breeders and trainers Dean and Rikki Cernovskis and Rikki’s parents John and Lesley O’Sullivan.
“It was a super tough effort. The Fitzpatrick’s have done a super job with her,” Rikki stated.
“We’re still buzzing about the win.”
A $22,000 buy at last year’s APG Sydney sale for Fitzpatrick’s wife Lisa, Ross Crossen and K. L. Morris, Swinging Queen is one of the first crop of the three-time Horse of the Year King Of Swing, who stands at Cobbitty Equine Farm in NSW.
She is the second foal of Match Point Serena, an unraced Somebeachsomewhere mare named after American tennis great Serena Williams.
Interestingly, her first foal, Mira Domina (by Sweet Lou), notched her second success at Hobart just 24 hours later.
A Lather Up colt out of Match Point Serena was snapped up by Aaron Goadsby’s Goozdolphin Racing for $30,000 at this year’s APG sale at Warwick Farm.
Match Point Serena is carrying a positive test to Ride High.
She is out of the former talented racemare Daniela Hantuchova, a winner of 13 races including four at Menangle and $87,003 in stakes.
“We really loved Daniela Hantuchcova and we thought that we needed to keep her first filly. We’re really glad that we retained her now,” Rikki said.
“We are pleased that the owners of Swinging Queen have continued with the tennis theme for the horses. Daniela Hantuchova was a leading Slovakian tennis player and her first foal Drop The Hammer’s stable name was ‘Rafa’ (named after Rafael Nadal).”
The Cernovskis’s own eight broodmares and are breeding five or six foals each year.
From APG Media
