Bright future for Anabandana

Quite a few haircuts back, a noted American horseman named Benjamin Allyn Jones wrote that the three most important elements in a thoroughbred in descending order were brain, heart and lungs and you could not see any of them.

Jones would have loved Anabandana. She underscores his theory.

A year ago, before she had a saddle on her back, according to those around her, Anabandana was anything but physically imposing.

Jones might be right that physicality runs a poor fourth to the three elements he always prized.

Trainer Don Sellwood reckons Anabandana's brains and the filly's alertness tells you she probably has got plenty of grey matter.

There is no question about her heart, otherwise she could not have done what she did to win Saturday's $200,000 The Oaks Stallions Manawatu Sires Produce at Awapuni

Twice the leader, Antonio Lombardo, looked to have her beaten and twice she came back to thrust her nose in front on the line.

Yes, it was the bob of the head that gave her victory, but if had she yielded fractionally for one stride in the home straight, Antonio Lombardo would have walked away with the prize.

Attitude is worth more than anything else in a racehorse and you can directly attribute that to brain and heart.

With apologies to Antonio Lombardo's connections, Kim and Peter McKay and Trevor Luke, there is something special about a filly beating a male in a group one race.

Something even more special about a smallish filly conquering a bigger colt.

Anabandana is very special and you don't need to remind Don Sellwood of that.

He falls short of telling you she is the best horse he's trained, but: "She's certainly the best 2-year-old I've had".

Living on the edge of nervous tension from anticipation is something Sellwood specialises in and Saturday's desperately close finish that had everyone guessing, did little for his blood pressure.

Racing's Mr Careful can now relax for a couple of months as Anabandana heads for a winter spell. What she could end up being for Hamilton supermarket owner Chris Grace as a 3-year-old you can only guess at.

She doesn't need to improve from her current level of ability and attitude to remain at group one level in her second season, but everything about her as a juvenile suggests she has been on a continual upward plane which may not level out for some time yet.

She has already turned A$26,000 into $348,750 for Grace and that's only in stakemoney.

As a dual group one-winning potential broodmare she is worth millions.

So was the excitement of Saturday's final 200m, heart and lungs of both combatants giving their all.

Although lost in the excitement of the fight up front, third-placed Dowager Queen and Savabill (fourth) did well to come from a long way back.

The inside couple of widths were the fast lanes at Awapuni on Saturday.

Back and wide, often the place to be on that track when there is rain around, was suicide and Savabill in particular had to scout extremely wide on the home bend from last in running.

His chances were already extinguished at that point, but he ran on strongly in the closing stages.

Karaka Million winner Fort Lincoln finished last and rider Jonathan Riddell told stewards the horse felt as if he was affected by racing on recent firm tracks.

A veterinary inspection showed Fort Lincoln had a slower than usual recovery rate and trainer Lisa Latta said he would be spelled immediately.