Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Readers could be forgiven for wondering if this script wasn’t pre-written for drama when Hermitage owned Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) won the G1 Flight S, after their exciting unbeaten filly Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) had to be scratched from the race when a bone chip was discovered on Friday morning.
Autumn Glow misses a Group 1 opportunity
Autumn Glow – bred by Newhaven Park and sold by them as a weanling for $600,000 to Silverdale Farm who on-sold her as a yearling for $1.8 million to Arrowfield Stud and Hermitage – was unbeaten in three starts leading into the G1 Flight S., including the G3 Up And Coming S. and the G2 Tea Rose S. She was the hot favourite for the G1 Flight S. before Friday’s announcement.
Autumn Glow | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“It was a tough week but I’m not going to get emotional about it because I’m so blessed to have these types of horses in the stable,” said trainer Chris Waller post-race regarding both Autumn Glow and Lady Shenandoah.
“It was bittersweet in a way but (Lady Shenandoah) won so emphatically. It’s great for Hermitage,” said Arrowfield Stud’s Jon Freyer.
“It was (winning the G1 Flight S.) bittersweet in a way but (Lady Shenandoah) won so emphatically. It’s great for Hermitage.” - Jon Freyer
Lady Shenandoah is second generation at Arrowfield
Arrowfield Stud bred both Lady Shenandoah and her dam Star Pupil (Starcraft) in partnership with John Leaver’s Planette Thoroughbreds. The connection goes back to Lady Shenandoah’s second dam, Ain’t Seen Nothin (Nothin’ Leica Dane) who was bred by John and Fran Ovenstone of Little Wych Stud in Bathurst, NSW.
Bought by trainer Barb Joseph at the 2001 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $20,000, Joseph said in 2015, “I bought her because I loved the way she walked and she was related to Patou, a filly I initially trained. She ran third in her first race as a Spring 3-year-old and then won six in a row. She had a great will to win, there wasn’t a race where she didn’t try her best, and she could run on all sorts of tracks.”
Ain't Seen Nothin when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Ain’t Seen Nothin won eight of her 29 starts. At three she won six in succession culminating in the Listed Keith F Nolan Classic before running third in the G3 Adrian Knox S. and fourth in the G1 Australian Oaks, won by Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {USA}).
She won the Listed Let’s Elope S. at four and was third in the G1 Underwood S. won by Mummify (Jeune {GB}). Later that autumn she won the Listed National Sprint at Canberra and was third in the G2 Queen of the Turf (now upgraded to Group 1). As a spring 5-year-old, she placed twice at Group 3 level before being retired in 2004.
Sent to the 2005 Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale, Ain’t Seen Nothin’ was purchased by Badgers Bloodstock for $460,000 carrying her first foal Hidden Charges (Charge Forward). “Badgers is Grant Pritchard-Gordon who bought her for Paul Makin. He was buying some nice mares to send to Starcraft in his first years at stud,” said Freyer.
Jon Freyer | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
In 2007, Ain’t Seen Nothin’ produced the filly Ain’tnofallenstar (Starcraft {NZ}) and went back to him that season. In 2008, Ain’t Seen Nothin’ was back at the Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale (carrying a full sibling to Ain’tnofallenstar), offered via Kulani Park, and she was purchased by Arrowfield Stud in partnership with Planette Thoroughbreds for $450,000.
Ain’tnofallenstar went on to win two Listed races among her four wins, while Arrowfield and Planette-bred Stepitup (Hussonet {USA}) who won 15 races in Singapore including six of his first seven there. He won the Singapore Guineas, and in total 10 races with black-type status including the Kranji Mile and Raffles Cup.
Star Pupil came after Stepitup, and then Ain’t Seen Nothin’ produced exciting G3 Schweppervescence S. (now the G3 TL Baillieu) winner Bachman (All American). He returned at four to win another Listed race.
Bachman | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“Bachman was a very promising horse who got hurt when he was getting ready for the Derby,” said Freyer. “We’ve retained Star Pupil as well as Taste of Honey and Farsight.” Ain’t Seen Nothin’s final two foals were the fillies Farsight (All American) and unraced mare Taste Of Honey (Dundeel {NZ}).
From maiden win to dam of two Group 1 winners
Star Pupil was trained by Paul Messara and had five starts at three, placing twice before winning at her final outing over 1400 metres at Tamworth as a late 3-year-old. She has been a fantastic mare for the Arrowfield and Planette partnership.
“She’s a lovely mare. We rate her highly. She has a Maurice colt going to (Inglis) Easter. She hasn’t got a foal this year and was covered about 10 days ago by Snitzel. Hopefully she’s in foal and carrying a full relation (to Lady Shenandoah),” said Freyer.
“She’s (Star Pupil) a lovely mare. We rate her highly. She hasn’t got a foal this year and was covered about 10 days ago by Snitzel. Hopefully she’s in foal and carrying a full relation (to Lady Shenandoah).” - Jon Freyer
Star Pupil’s first foal, Tiger Silk (All American), sold for $85,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, through the Toolooganvale Farm draft and raced in New Zealand, winning three times as a 3-year-old with a third in the 2019 Listed Mufhasa S. She was exported to America in March 2019 where she has so far produced three foals, the latest a colt by Lane’s End Farm-based sire Twirling Candy (USA) who sold for US$200,000 (AU$294,000) to Joe Migliore as agent at last month’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Her second foal, Stronger, a son of Not A Single Doubt, turned heads from the moment he was born. Sold at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $1.05 million to James Harron Bloodstock, Stronger won on debut at two, finishing his juvenile season with three wins including the G3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic. At three he was sent to Hong Kong, where he was a winner at three, four and at five, including a storming win in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup. He returned to Australia with earnings over $3 million where he stands at Aquis Farm and his first foals are being born this spring.
Stronger | Standing at Aquis
Star Pupil’s next foal, Velorum was a full brother to Stronger, who was a $430,000 yearling and won twice. After Velorum, Star Pupil missed a couple of years, then produced the filly Diligente (Pariah) who was purchased by Annabel Neasham and partners for $150,000 and races in the Eureka Stud colours. A 4-year-old mare, she was placed at three in Queensland.
Lady Shenandoah adds second Group 1 for Star Pupil
Lady Shenandoah is Star Pupil’s fifth foal, fourth winner, and second Group 1 winner. “Stronger was a neater type of horse, more a Not A Single Doubt type. Lady Shenandoah is bigger and scopey like her mother. A lovely filly with a good girth and depth and a great walk. Obviously, she was a very good yearling as she made $525,000,” said Freyer.
Sold by Arrowfield at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $525,000 to Hermitage, Lady Shenandoah has had four starts for trainer Chris Waller. At two, she ran third on debut to Clean Energy (Zoustar), then ran second in the Listed Bill Carter S. again to Clean Energy.
Lady Shenandoah as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Unbeaten at three, Lady Shenandoah won the G3 Ming Dynasty H. first-up and followed it up with Saturday’s G1 Flight S. Star Pupil doesn’t have a 2-year-old, having missed that year, and her yearling is the Maurice (Jpn) colt mentioned earlier by Freyer, who is being set for the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
The relationship with Hermitage
Hermitage is managed by Shannon Clarke, and the relationship with Arrowfield goes back to The Autumn Sun. “They’ve bought a number of yearlings off us, including The Autumn Sun,” said Freyer. “We bought back into The Autumn Sun. He’s largely Hermitage and Arrowfield as his owners. It’s been a successful partnership, and we have raced a few horses together subsequently, including Autumn Glow.”
The Autumn Sun was sold by Arrowfield Stud at the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $700,000, bought by Hermitage and Chris Waller Racing.
The Autumn Sun | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
“Hermitage have Chris (Waller) and Guy (Mulcaster) buy horses for them and they bought Lady Shenandoah from us independently (of their other partnerships).”
And for those who are wondering about the name. Shenandoah is a town in Virginia, USA, which is most likely derived from the Native American language Algonquin “schind-han-do-wi.” One of the many possible translations is ‘beautiful daughter of the stars’, a fitting name for a daughter of Star Pupil.
