Regal Cheer now has the opportunity to join past winners such as Shindig (1998), Assertive Lass (1997), Skating (1993), Happy Sailing (1990) and Emancipation (1984), to name but a few, whose progeny have ensured their positive impact upon the Australasian breeding industry – and it would be remiss to omit the freakish Sunline (2000, 2002) whose yearlings will be among the most eagerly anticipated in quite some time when they hit the sales ring. 

The 1500m of the Coolmore was expected to prove too great a task for the diminutive Regal Cheer – hence her starting price of $9.50 – but what everyone didn’t count on was her tenacity and tremendous will to win. 

After box seating one back on the fence behind the leader Breezy, Regal Cheer took advantage of the average tempo to kick clear at the top of the straight. At the 300m mark she was absolutely cruising and seemed assured of registering the easiest of wins before her stamina began to wane with about 100m remaining. 

The backmarkers, namely Mnemosyne and Queensland visitor Star Shiraz, began to close rapidly but it was too little too late and Regal Cheer prevailed by a short neck. Star Shiraz ($31 SP) surprised all and sundry with her barnstorming second while the performance of Mnemosyne ($5 SP) was outstanding coming from second-last on the turn to fall short by just a half-neck to grab third. 

But as the racing adage goes ‘the best horses make their own luck’ and that’s exactly what the daughter of VRC Derby hero Arena did – incidentally her win also proved a milestone for her sire as it was his first ever Group 1 winner. 

“She’s just a fantastic filly with really great owners and it’s a pleasure to be here obviously,” exclaimed her jubilant Warwick Farm trainer Joseph Pride who collected his second Group 1 trophy after the win of Red Oog in the 2005 Doomben 10,000.  

“This is fantastic, I don’t know how you compare group one’s but hopefully I can get a few more and keep comparing them,” he proclaimed. 

“This started off as a dream so it’s just an amazing feeling right now.” 

“The distance was always going to test her today but she was perfectly ridden and she’s so tough,” Pride remarked in reference to the faultless navigational skills displayed by young jockey Michael Rodd.  

It was indeed a highly professional ride by the youngster who has recently returned from a Hong Kong sojourn and it proved to be the difference between winning and losing. 

“She began well and I couldn’t believe how well she travelled, even at the 700m she was really getting on the bit,” remarked Rodd after claiming his first ever Group One victory. 

“She’s got a short sharp sprint so you have to hold on to her a bit but when you let her go she flies.” 

The victory is yet another big race success for Magic Millions and proves once and for all that its catalogues offer the best value for money.  

Costing only $85,000 (she has now amassed $710,000 prizemoney) at the 2004 Magic Millions Yearling Sale from the draft of Lomar Park Stud, the addition of a Group 1 for the daughter of VRC Derby winner Arena and Golden Slipper placed Regal Chamber is every owners dream. She has now matched her father’s success at the elite level and eclipsed that of her mother as her racetrack feats peaked in the 1997 G2 Magic Night Stakes.  

She may even eclipse mum’s feats in the breeding barn – her owners will certainly be hoping that is the case.

© Cyberhorse 2006 Peter Mullen Published 25/03/06