Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
‘Life-changing’ is a term that’s bandied about in racing regularly, but when it’s actually true there’s usually a very good story behind it.
This fact was in plain sight on Wednesday when, in the first juvenile midweek race of the metro season, the Hellbent filly Divine Glory, under subtle urgings from Kerrin McEvoy, scooted away to land the opening race at Warwick Farm by 2.33l.
Divine Glory as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
The filly, trained by the Snowdens, is a homebred for twin brothers Les and Lenny Gilmore. Divine Glory is from the only mare the brothers own, Never Doubt Me (Not A Single Doubt), and she changed their lives in February this year when she sold at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $140,000.
“It’s a millionaire’s game and for two people with just normal jobs, it does change your life,” Lenny said after the sale last February, and his brother was quick to agree.
“You never expect to get that sort of money any time, let alone for little breeders like us,” Les said. “We didn’t expect to get anywhere near that sort of money.”
“It’s (breeding horses) a millionaire’s game and for two people with just normal jobs, it does change your life.” - Lenny Gilmore
Les is a newsagent in downtown Scone, while Lenny has been the head gardener at Yarraman Park for the best part of 20 years. They’re a likeable, grounded pair. All being well each year, they produce one foal from the one mare they own, but Divine Glory has taken them on a quick ride to the top.
She was Never Doubt Me’s fourth foal, and she sold in February to Snowden Racing and Will Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) for $140,000. None of her previous progeny had touched the sides of a price like that, and Divine Glory has delivered plenty since.
She was third on debut a fortnight ago in the G3 Gimcrack S. at Randwick. Momentarily, she had a stakes-placed pedigree update that increased her value considerably. On Wednesday, she went two better with a win at Warwick Farm in a testing, Heavy 8 track.
Lenny and Les Gilmore | Image courtesy of Yarraman Park Stud
Breaking well from the rails, she made a mockery of the six-horse field, clocking the 1000 metres in 59.91s, the last 600 metres in 36.01s. Chasing A Quid (Capitalist) was second and Kata Kapi (Headwater) was third.
On course, co-trainer Paul Snowden said the filly had charged on after her Gimcrack effort.
“She gave us no indication that we needed to ease up on her or pull the pin,” he said. “It’s obviously a day-by-day thing with these young horses. There was faith in her to back up here and it was a nice, comfortable win.”
Snowden added that Divine Glory had put herself together very well.
Paul Snowden | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“She is what she is,” he said. “She’s a 2-year-old, she’s progressing well and she’s tough. She’s got that tenacity to train on at an early age, so it’s certainly going to be all before her.”
Couldn’t pot her
For Yarraman Park, where this filly was born and raised, Divine Glory's been a marvellous story from start to finish.
“We’re very proud of her,” said Matt Scown, Yarraman’s general manager. “It’s even more special that she was bred by Lenny and Les, so it’s been a lovely time for us. Lenny was watching the race today and he’s devastated that he didn’t make the trip down to Sydney, but we’ll make sure we get him there for the next start.”
Divine Glory was part of Yarraman’s 23-horse draft that it brought to the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The highest-selling was an I Am Invincible filly from Pierro Moss (Pierro) that went to Baystone Farm for $480,000, and Divine Glory was one of the better-selling Hellbent fillies at $140,000.
“You couldn’t pot her,” Scown said. “She was uncomplicated, she moved well and she had a great attitude. It was an attitude that those 2-year-olds need to possess.”
“You couldn’t pot her (Divine Glory as a yearling). She was uncomplicated, she moved well and she had a great attitude. It was an attitude that those 2-year-olds need to possess.” - Matt Scown
The margin that Divine Glory posted on Wednesday left no doubt she had ability and class. It was an impressive performance for such a young horse, even to Scown’s seasoned eye.
“It was a fantastic effort for a second start,” he said. “First-up in the Gimcrack she ran a really good third. She just tries her best, this filly, and she’s shown that again today (Wednesday), winning in a dominant fashion.”
Hellbent on success
Aside from the feel-good factor about Wednesday’s win, Divine Glory has posted a tidy result for her in-form sire, Hellbent.
Hellbent | Standing at Yarraman Park Stud
The Yarraman Park resident rushed up the sires' table at the closing end of last season, finishing fourth on the Australian First Season Sire tally by earnings, behind only Russian Revolution, Gold Standard and The Mission.
“Hellbent himself broke his maiden in the June of his 2-year-old year, so we thought his stock were going to get better with time, as he did,” Scown said. “He won his Group 1 at five, so he had a lot of longevity and he was a very sound horse, and it wasn’t really a surprise that a lot of his winners last season came in the latter part of the year.
“It’s all progressing well for Hellbent. We couldn’t be happier with the start he’s had and I Am Invincible is at the top of his game, but he is 18 years old now. Having a son of his just hitting his straps is very promising, and we’re really excited about the future with him.”
Matt Scown | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
With eight winners, Hellbent sits second right now among leading second-season sires, behind only Russian Revolution with 10. It’s been the perfect start, and Scown said Divine Glory is a good, typical mating that has suited the stallion.
“Never Doubt Me was a very well-performed Not A Single Doubt mare and, as we try to do, we send those sharp, running mares to young stallions like Hellbent,” he said. “We’ve backed up again with another solid book like that this season, and he’s full at 150. Yarraman will support him with between 25 and 30 mares again, and we’re rapt with how he’s doing.”
“Never Doubt Me was a very well-performed Not A Single Doubt mare and, as we try to do, we send those sharp, running mares to young stallions like Hellbent.” - Matt Scown
Never Doubt Me will visit Hellbent again this spring. Only this week, she foaled a colt by Graff and both Lenny and Les Gilmore were on-hand all the way.
"We were out there yesterday (Tuesday) morning at 3.45am with her," Lenny said. "She had a Graff colt, which was very exciting."
Never Doubt Me has a Hellbent filly, a full sister to Divine Glory and now a yearling, who will feature in the catalogue for the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Nothing is guaranteed in this industry, but with a Group-placed, metro-winning full sister, it’s probable that the brothers can expect even better results next February.
Divine Glory as a foal | Image courtesy of Lenny Gilmore
"It will be exciting to see what she makes but, at the end of the day, you can't take the dream away," Lenny said.
