Despite being first-up from a 147-day spell, the Chris Waller-trained Joliestar (+400) proved too classy in the Group 2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday, adding more accolades to an already glowing resume.
She was a dominant winner of the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at the end of her spring campaign before suffering a minor setback in the aftermath, being forced to be tipped out to the paddock.
The daughter of Zoustar has seemingly lost nothing in her time off, with two outstanding barrier trials prior to Saturday, and has now brought up career win number three at start six.
The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained pair of The Novelist (+2200) and The Instructor (+7000) set a genuine tempo throughout the 1200m journey, allowing the likes of Ozzmosis (+270) and Schwarz (+450) to park in behind the leading pair.
Joliestar was held together worse than midfield under Jamie Kah, allowing the three-year-old to settle comfortably on the back of what would eventually be some tiring horses.
Hedged (+900) and Libertad (+2500) made strong inroads down the centre of the course in the concluding stages.
The Group 1-winning filly was too strong in the end, as Joliestar held out a brave Hedged in the shadows of the post to claim victory.
Chris Waller was trackside at Randwick to talk about his gutsy filly and the potential of what’s next for Joliestar.
“She’s a group one-winning horse but she had a long break and it is hard to gauge where they’re at just from trackwork,” said Waller.
“Most horses, they’d already had first-up runs and we’re going into the race fresh with some boom horses and we just rode her comfortably where she was happy and Jamie (Kah) cleverly found a way through the field.
“It was a really good win. She has probably gone to a new level racing quicker over shorter and beating the boys.
“The number one goal is as a four-year-old so she might not even have another run. I’ll talk to the owners and see wat they have got to say.
“It was just ‘get her back and see where she is at’ in her three-year-old career. She had a late spring so she needed the appropriate time to get back here today.
“I’m not sure if we’ll push too far now, though. You get on the wrong leg and not properly prepared for the spring.”
It was a pickup ride for Jamie Kah on the day and credited her mounts turn-of-foot to get the job done on Saturday.
“Really good win,” said Kah.
“Obviously she would be better over further, I thought. She feels like a sprinter every day of the week after that.
“She’s really got a sharp turn-of-foot. She overraced a lot being first-up and if she got beaten it wasn’t going to be her fault so she’s done it a t both ends today.”