3 minute read
Member of successful family makes stunning debut.
Commemorative turned heads with her jaw-dropping debut win at Canterbury on Wednesday, in the process proving herself another high-quality product of a family that spans the Ingham family's Woodlands handover to Sheikh Mohammed's Darley operation.
The hulking James Cummings-trained daughter of I Am Invincible overcame racing in restricting room rounding the home turn to barge into the clear early in the straight and power away for a 4-3/4-length win as a $1.60 favourite in the 1100m 2YO Fillies Maiden.
Commemorative is out of the Street Cry mare Memorial, who is from Mnemosyne, a winner of the Thousand Guineas and Queen Of The Turf at Group 1 level back when John Hawkes was in charge of the Inghams' 'cerise army'.
Mnemosyne, who is by Encosta De Lago, is also the dam of Stradbroke Handicap winner Impending (Lonhro) and another Street Cry mare Erato, who is the dam of Blue Diamond winner Lyre (Lonhro).
Memorial won her first two starts, both at Rosehill, and finished second in the Listed Lonhro Plate before finishing fifth in the 2014 Golden Slipper won by Mossfun.
Memorial did not win at three but added another Black Type placing when second in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes.
She headed to Europe after her racing career ended, where she produced eight-time winner Lion Tower (Exceed And Excel), and returned to Australia carrying a Shamardal foal who raced as Shrine but was retired after two unplaced runs.
Memorial returned to Exceed And Excel after having Shrine and conceived Contemporary, who has won two of 11 starts and was a narrow third in the race won by Devil's Throat at Rosehill last Saturday.
Darren Beadman, who rode Mnemosyne to all of her six career wins and trained Impending to his Stradbroke success, remains part of the team at Godolphin and said Commemorative was likely to be directed towards some spring features.
"She's a very well-bred filly, her mum won her first two races as a two-year-old, and she's obviously precocious enough to be able to win at two," Beadman said.
"I'm sure the team and James will treat her with kid gloves, they've given her plenty of time to find herself and grow into herself, so I guess spring time is going to look promising."
After having Commemorative, Memorial visited Darley shuttle stallion Blue Point and had a filly who has been named Photograph.
She was then sent to Lonhro and last year foaled a colt but will not have a foal this year after failing to get in-foal to Pinatubo.
The big girl Commemorative bursts on to the racing scene with a fantastic debut win!@mcacajamez the pilot for @JamesCummings88. pic.twitter.com/aK6XlW7rKV
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 7, 2023
