Ichihara’s Eskimo

After a last start second to the fellow Corumbene Stud-owned Bennetta in the Group Two Light Fingers Stakes, General Nediym filly Ichihara was asked to give weight to the rest of the field, carrying 58kgs in the Listed Eskimo Prince at Warwick Farm on Saturday 16 March.

With a pre-race plan to settle off the leaders due to the weight she has been allocated, rather than lead like she normally does, it was a masterstroke which saw the filly get up in the final few strides to defeated the previous unbeaten Heart Testa.

Winning her fifth start from 11 races, and her third stakes race, the filly takes her career earnings past the $390,000 mark for her connections; Corumbene Stud Pty Ltd Syndicate (Mgr: G Altomonte), G Altomonte, Ms L N Smith & G Severino.

Raced in partnership by breeder George Altomonte, Ichihara (pictured above returning to scale) is out of the Whiskey Road mare Cut A Dash, a three-quarter-sister to the Group One Thousand Guineas winner Whisked, who is in turn the dam of the champion galloper Tie The Knot. Cut A Dash appears to have an affiliation with General Nediym having produced three stakes winners; Ichihara, Au Chocolat and Isurava by the Group One Newmarket Handicap winner. Covered by Darley’s Exceed And Excel during the latest breeding season, Cut A Dash is currently in foal.

Altomonte has had luck in the past with Exceed and Excel as he is the sire of the Corumbene’s unbeaten Listed Widden Stakes winner Overrach, the current Group One Golden Slipper favourite.

Corumbene Stud will offer a draft of 11 yearlings at the 2013 Inglis Easter yearling sale in a few weeks time, click here to view the draft.

Picture courtesty of Bradley Photographers

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