Charmmebaby (NZ) Adds Wayne Wilson to Queensland Haul

Quality performer Charmmebaby (NZ) (Charm Spirit) has turned her $18,000 purchase price at Karaka into more than A$500,000 in stakes, including a career-defining patch of form in Queensland through the last six months. 

The five-year-old scored a brilliant win in Saturday’s A$150,000 Listed Radiotab The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm, improving her career record to 32 starts for nine wins, eight placings and A$547,865 – more than 30 times her purchase price.

It has been since moving to Queensland and joining the Eagle Farm stable of Lawrie Mayfield-Smith late last year that Charmmebaby has really made her name, making four starts – all in stakes level – for two wins and two placings. Her two appearances in December produced a win in the Listed Brisbane Handicap (1640m) and a placing in the Listed Bernborough Plate (1600m), and she warmed up for Saturday’s win with a second in the Listed Spear Chief Handicap (1500m) a week earlier.

“She’s better this time in than last time, although she was pretty good last time,” Mayfield-Smith said.

“She’s just stronger, and I think backing her up just took that edge off her, where she wasn’t throwing her head and carrying on.

“The owners wanted black type, and she’s now run in four black-type races here, won two, probably unlucky in another, and ran second last week in one. Her value as a broodmare is going to go up considerably.”

The Wayne Wilson was one of the standout performances of Charmmebaby’s career. Positioned just in behind the speed by jockey Craig Williams, she produced a brilliant turn of foot when a gap opened in the straight and charged into contention.

Kubrick (Shooting To Win) and Kirwan’s Lane (NZ) (Charm Spirit) sprinted at her late with bold last-minute challenges, but Charmmebaby held them out by a neck.

“She’s so game and gutsy,” Williams said. “It’s often the way racing is – you get a lovely run, but you’ve got to wait for a run. If it works out and you’ve got the horse, which I did today, it works out really well.”

Charmmebaby was bred by Donald and Meryn Hastie, and she was offered by Prima Park in Book 3 of Karaka 2018, where she was purchased by Brian Black and Robt Dawe.

Third placegetter Kirwan’s Lane is also by Charm Spirit and is also a Karaka graduate, bought for $170,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2018. His 33-start career has produced nine wins, seven placings and A$549,525.