Stay With Me emulates mum in 1000 Guineas

Take Pride began to weaken into the home straight and Stay With Me ($8) came through between horses to accelerate clear 200m out and defeat Jameka ($8.50) by 1 3/4-lengths with Badawiya ($5.50) 1 1/4-lengths off third.

After the impressive win her co-trainer David Hayes declared her not only the best bred filly in the land but also the best filly.

While many of his Group I victories have come through his meticulous planning Waller had little room to manoeuvre in even getting Press Statement to the Caulfield Guineas.

“Dark Steel has made a quantum leap since his last run”, she said.

Miss Finland finished an unlucky sixth in the Cox Plate following her Thousand Guineas but Hayes said Stay With Me won’t be running in the Cox Plate. “She’s a Group I victor now and that was the aim”, Hayes said.

“Maybe we could go to the Oaks, but my gut feel is to keep her shorter in the spring”.

“We’ll have a team meeting”.

Stay With Me is the fourth foal of the superstar Miss Finland whose wins included the Golden Slipper and the VRC Oaks.

The weight-for-age Caulfield Stakes was one of four group I events on the October. 10 program, during which the course condition was rated good.

Dwayne Dunn remembered his instructions and rode to order.

“I think he’s been racing in the Olympics and he’s back in the National Championships now”, Hayes said.

“I loved his poise after that”.

“Top marks to Dwayne, he obviously had a lot of horse under him but he rode her perfectly after the start she had”.

Stay With Me, by Street Cry, won the Schweppes One Thousand Guineas for 3-year-old fillies in 1:35.89 for the about one mile (1,600 meters), while Lucky Hussler, a 6-year-old gelding by Husson, captured the Toorak Handicap at about one mile (1,600 meters) in 1:34.57.

Criterion won this year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the highlight of The Championships at Randwick, before embarking on a three-race overseas campaign, firstly in Hong Kong and then two starts in England.

Stay With Me gets the better of Jameka (left).