Widden to Offer Gongs Half-Sister at Classic

The James Cummings trained Dawn Approach (IRE)  filly Gongs blitzed her rivals to win the 1100 metre juvenile fillies maiden by five and a half lengths at Canterbury on Wednesday.

A trial winner at the same venue on November 3, Gongs shot straight to the front for Brenton Avdulla and had all her rivals off the bit turning for home.

She kept up a good gallop to the line to win as she pleased in a thoroughly dominant debut.

“That was very impressive,” said James Cummings.

“She improved a lot from her trial and you couldn’t be any happier after that win.

“It’s lovely to see a two year-old with that sort of speed from the gate, she was in a different post code.

“It’s good for her sire Dawn Approach and we can now look for a nice race for her next year.”

Bred and retained to race by Darley, Gongs is a half-sister to stakes-placed Mesa and is the fifth winner from five foals to race out of stakes-winning Bel Esprit mare Belcentra, who was bought by Darley at the 2009 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $500,000.

Darley on-sold her in 2016 at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale for $90,000 and she produced a filly by Denman for her new owners.

That filly will be offered by Widden Stud as agent at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale as Lot 279 and with Gongs adding some excitement to the pedigree, she’s going to be a filly well worth inspecting.