Hungry Heart Proves Staying Power in Australian Oaks

Have the group 1 floodgates opened for Yuesheng Zhang and his enormous Australian racing and breeding operation?

Chinese businessman Zhang's prized 3-year-old Hungry Heart, who defied the on-pace and rails bias to win the Vinery Stud Stakes (G1) at Rosehill a fortnight earlier, proved this season's superior staying filly in The Star Australian Oaks (G1) at Randwick April 17.

The performance backed up trainer Chris Waller's judgment that the daughter of Frankel  would handle the extra journey of the Oaks at Randwick after initially indicating she could drop back in distance after her Vinery success.

"As we said after her first group 1 win a few weeks back, the international stage is what racing's all about," Waller said.

"People are recognizing Australian racing for all the right reasons during COVID and when you've got a Frankel filly winning the Australian Oaks I think it's pretty special."

Hungry Heart defeated TAB Adrian Knox Stakes (G3) winner Duais by 1 1/4 lengths with a short neck back to Bargain in third.

Waller said: "She backed up that good run two weeks ago and it's a good advertisement for our system.

"We had her running in the Golden Slipper (G1) and now she's running at the extreme distance for a 3-year-old filly, so thanks to my team and obviously a great ride by Kerrin McEvoy."

Jockey McEvoy settled Hungry Heart in sixth place behind a steady tempo set, as expected, by Harmony Rose.

"I jumped well and got into a spot not far from the front," McEvoy said.

"I was happy with the rhythm that she got into. It was a different sort of race to last time out at Rosehill, and Josh (Parr on Harmony Rose) rated his horse quite (nicely) in front.

"I wasn't (worried) as I was in a position to move into it when I wanted to and that is what I did. She was full of running from the 600 meters onwards."

Saturday's Australian Oaks is Yulong's third group 1 victory Down Under—two of them provided by Hungry Heart and the other being 2020 Kennedy Cantala Stakes (G1) winner Yulong Prince—since Zhang bought his first racehorse in 2014.

In the seven years since, Zhang has invested tens of millions of dollars in racehorses, broodmares, a growing number of stallions, and pristine properties at Nagambie in Victoria to house them.

The quality and the sheer quantity of Yulong's Australian Thoroughbred portfolio suggests that the rise of Hungry Heart, a result of Zhang's willingness to source bloodstock from around the world, suggests that his bottle green and white check colors will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

Grunt, Alabama Express, Tagaloa, Yulong Prince, and shuttler Lucky Vega  will be on the 2021 Yulong stallion roster and, given Zhang's vision, the line-up may not end there.

Hungry Heart, meanwhile, has won four of her 12 starts, which includes a Drinkwise Sweet Embrace Stakes (G2) at 2.

The homebred filly, who went through the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2019 for AU$300,000 (US$215,550) and is raced by April Zhang, is a daughter of the Pivotal  mare Harlech who was sourced by agent Sheamus Mills on behalf of Zhang at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale before being covered by Juddmonte's champion Frankel to Southern Hemisphere time.

Harlech is a half sister to group 3 winner Maamora  while Hungry Heart's second dam is the listed winner Zoowraa  (Azamour ) and her third dam, Beraysim (Lion Cavern), was also successful at stakes level.

Hungry Heart's Snitzel  yearling half sister was passed on at the recent Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by Yulong with a reserve of AU$650,000. She was not covered in 2019 but she visited Yulong's first season sire Alabama Express last year.

"(Hungry Heart) is a very special filly with an international pedigree and we're very proud of her," Waller said.

"She's matured with age, which you'd expect. She was a little on her toes as a 2-year-old, just a baby learning what it is all about.

"The Zhangs are great investors and it's fantastic to win an Oaks for them."

Nettoyer Wins Queen of the Turf

Valuable out-cross mare Nettoyer, who became a dual group 1 Randwick mile winner Saturday, is unlikely to be sold by her owners despite carrying an entry for an upcoming broodmare sale.

Nettoyer, as she has a history of doing, caused an upset in the Moet & Chandon Queen of the Turf Stakes (G1), putting an exclamation point on her already impressive race record, as connections weigh the next phase of her career.

Her Warwick Farm-based trainer Wendy Roche, whose gallant mare also won last year's The Star Doncaster Mile (G1) at big odds, has Nettoyer entered for next month's Inglis Chairman's Sale but there is a strong chance she will be withdrawn and retained as a broodmare.

The AU$580,000 Queen of the Turf first prize will more than cover the service fee for the rising 8-year-old daughter of Sebring  whose win did not come as a surprise to Roche after the mare's performance in the Doncaster Mile.

"She missed the kick by three (in the Doncaster), she was 20 lengths off them, and you can't do that in a group 1 against the world's best horses," Roche said.

"She only got beaten by 4.3 lengths. She needs pace…and she had that today. She's only got two more starts and then hopefully if Godolphin's listening, she'll be going to Exceed And Excel ."

Nettoyer reeled in Probabeel by a short head with Quantum Mechanic another 1 3/4 lengths away third.

Tommy Berry, who had ridden Nettoyer twice in barrier trials but never in her 40 previous race starts, was on board Saturday and was soon aware of the mare's unique nature.

"Getting her to the barriers is the hardest part. We were going along at a leisurely canter and she went to put the brakes on at the bottom of the stewards' tower and almost threw me over her head," Berry said.

"But she was in a great mood today and when she is in one of those moods is when she is at her best."

The Berry-Nettoyer partnership almost didn't eventuate, with Roche having accidentally overlooked the nominations for the Queen of the Turf. She was also without a jockey after Victoria-based Michael Poy rode her in the Doncaster the previous week.

"John (Berry, Tommy's father) rang up and said 'what about Tommy?' and I said 'yeah' and then I rang a few people and they didn't answer the phone," Roche revealed post-race.

"Then I rang Tommy's mum (Julie) and she gave me the number and then I got John to ring Tommy because I thought he would have a lot more pull than me, and he did.

"Tommy's manager rang back the next day and said yes, but you're not in the race. So I rang (co-owners) Greg White and his wife Jodie and they paid the late nom (AU$22,000), so I can pay them back now."

The quirky mare loves pizza and, on occasion, beer but Roche had already upgraded the mare's choice of beverage given the expectation of a bold showing Saturday.

"I think the pizza's on order and she's already got pink champagne because we thought she would go close," she said.

"She can have whatever she wants."

Nettoyer, an AU$20,000 ($15,370) Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase by Dr. John Crowley in 2015, has won seven races, five at group level, and prize money earnings a touch over AU$2.5 million.

Her career justifies Crowley and Roche's decision to retain the mare after she failed to meet an AU$80,000 ($38,957) reserve at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale while connections also chose to race her on for another two seasons after initially entering her for the 2019 Chairman's Sale.

Nettoyer is one of five winners for Cleanup (Dehere), a two-time winning half sister to group 3 winner She's Clean and the stakes-placed Floyd.

Cleanup, who was in foal to The Autumn Sun, was bought by Bromfield Park for AU$260,000 ($168,896) at last year's Chairman's Sale.

She had a Sept. 4 filly and was then served by Darley's champion sire Exceed And Excel last October.

Nettoyer is cataloged as Lot 41 in the Chairman's Sale if connections have a change of heart and decide to offer her to the market.