Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Miss Red Velvet looks certain to follow in the footsteps of her outstanding relations Maczaffair, Golden State and A Fair Ol Dance, following her most impressive debut when she scored a stylish victory in the $30,000 Western Crown for two-year-old fillies over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Prominent owners Albert and Julie Walmsley enjoyed wonderful successes with Maczaffair and Golden State, and Miss Red Velvet, purchased for $15,000 as a yearling in New Zealand last year, is certainly bred to succeed.
Miss Red Velvet upheld the family tradition of winning on debut, following her half-sister Maczaffair’s successful debut as a two-year-old at Pinjarra in March 2016, and her half-brother Golden State’s debut win as a two-year-old at Bunbury in April 2017.
Maczaffair went on to win the Group 3 Gold Bracelet as a two-year-old, the Group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic and the Group 1 WA Oaks in 2017 and the 2018 Group 2 WASBA Breeders Stakes five months after finishing second to Ultimate Machete in the Group 1 Golden Nugget.
She won 21 times in WA before travelling to America where she won another 15 times before being retired with earnings of $693,515 from 36 wins and 39 placings from 168 starts.
Golden State won the Caduceus Club Classic as a three-year-old in February 2018 and was retired with stakes of $192,186 from 13 wins and 15 placings from 60 starts.
Another of Miss Red Velvet’s half-brothers A Fair Ol Dance had 104 starts for 26 wins, 41 placings and $338,735. He won nine times in Victoria before winning another 17 races in the United States.
Miss Red Velvet is by American sire Always B Miki and is the 14TH foal out of Presidential Affair, who was a failure on the track, having been retired after managing one placing from 14 starts, a second in a minor event at Forbury Park in May 2005. Her career earnings were $1356.
Miss Red Velvet was a $7.70 chance from out wide at barrier No. 7 in Friday night’s race in which Little China Girl, the polemarker and easy Pinjarra winner late in January, dominated betting as the $1.14 favourite.
Little China Girl set the pace after a modest lead time of 8.1sec. and opening quarters of 31sec. and 30.8sec., with Kyle Symington content to restrain Miss Red Velvet back to last after starting out wide at barrier seven.
Symington sent Miss Red Velvet forward with about a lap to travel. She followed the three-wide run of $11 chance Livy Ann before finishing strongly to win by just under a length from that filly after final quarters of 28.7sec. and 29sec. Miss Red Velvet rated 1.58.7.
“Miss Red Velvet is professional, and with that speed she is going to win a fair few races,” said trainer Ryan Bell. “She is not eligible for Westbred or Sales races, but will be set for the Gold Bracelet, the Champagne Classic and the Diamond Classic.”