Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Written by Paul Vettise
Robert and Luke Price and their loyal owners are banking on gifted filly Jamaea (Headwater) starring at the ultimate level during her next preparation to compensate for a Group 1 winner that previously got away.
The father and son training partnership have every faith in Jamaea, who provided them with their biggest win together when she capped off her 2-year-old season in style with victory in the G2 Percy Sykes S.
She has been back in the stable for a little over a week following a good break to begin preparations for the Princess Series – the Silver Shadow S., Furious S. and Tea Rose S. all at Group 2 level and rounded off by the G1 Flight S.
Jamaea was purchased out of breeder Cressfield Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft by Robert Price for $130,000 on behalf of long-standing clients the Noble family and the Big Five O syndicate.
Jamaea as a yearling
“They’ve been with us 20-odd years. We’ve battled away for a while and missed out on a few good ones, we were underbidders on Written By,” Price said.
“We never seemed to have that last bit of money to buy those sorts of horses. I thought we spent a little bit too much when we bought Jamaea, but as it’s turned out she’s cheap. She is just a quality animal.”
“I thought we spent a little bit too much when we bought Jamaea, but as it’s turned out she’s cheap.” – Robert Price
Written By was bred by Neville Begg and had a $200,000 reserve on him at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, but bidding only reached $180,000 and the subsequent G1 Blue Diamond S. winner was passed in.
He also won three times at Group 3 level before the son of Written Tycoon took his place on the Widden Stud roster.
The over budget Jamaea’s talent shone through early and was a debut winner on her home track at Kembla Grange before she finished runner-up in the Listed Lonhro Plate.
She was also second in the G3 Magic Night S. before landing the Percy Sykes S. to head for a spell with more than $770,000 in the bank.
“She’s back in work and we’re hoping to have her ready to trial in early August or the back end of July. We’re going to aim her at the Princess Series and a normal run at the 3-year-old fillies’ races,” Price said.
“She has grown a bit and put on 30kg. She was lucky enough to have six weeks off, which I didn’t think would happen, so it’s worked out well after going to the paddock pretty much straight after she won the Percy Sykes.”
Hand-picked paddock
And it wasn’t any old paddock at Turpentine Park, where Price and his wife Patricia have overseen operations for two decades and subsequently expanded with stables at Kembla Grange.
“She enjoyed probably more than 50 per cent of the good weather. She had her own paddock, when I earmarked her as being a good one, I chose a paddock that would suit her,” he said.
“It gets well looked after that paddock so it’s ready for her every time she needs it.”
Robert and Luke Price
Jamaea is a daughter of the G3 Bow Mistress Trophy winner Isibaeva (Johannesburg {USA}), a daughter of the multiple black-type winner Dragila (Encosta De Lago) and the family of Group 2 winners Stargazer (NZ) (Star Way {GB}), Sorrento (NZ) (Just A Dancer) and Girl Gone Rockin’ (Redoute’s Choice).
Price believes Jamaea can stretch out in distance, but he’s in no hurry to find out.
“That’s going to unravel in front of us as we go along, but I don’t think we will want to push her past 1400 metres this prep. She’s got so much maturing to do yet, she’s got no wither,” he said.
“She’s done what she’s done so far on pure, natural ability and no doubt she’s still got a way to go. She is a nugget, there’s no doubt about it.
“She weighs 484kg at the moment and if you looked at her you wouldn’t think that was the case, there is a bit of substance to her.
“She has just got the ability to quicken. It’s not a long sprint, but it’s certainly devastating when she lets go.”
