GYPSY GODDESS IS SIMPLY MAJESTIC AS SHE RETAINS HER UNBEATEN RECORD WITH A FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN

By Graham Potter | Saturday, December 18, 2021

Gypsy Goddess made it four wins from four starts when landing her easiest win to date in the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes over 2100m at Eagle Farm on December 18.

While there could be a query about the quality of the runners who finished behind her here, it was nevertheless a majestic performance by Gypsy Goddess who lined the opposition in no uncertain terms, opening up a gap of 3.25 lengths to the second placed Balmaurice … with the minimum of fuss, still in cruise mode … while leaving her other five rivals unceremoniously stretched out finishing from 8.25 lengths to 16.00 lengths behind the Vandyke winner.

It has been well documented how Gypsy Goddess, after having had three ordinary trails before making her debut, surprised the stable with a stunning come from behind win at long odds in her first start, but everything she has done since then has franked the opinion that she could indeed be the real deal as her rate of progress has been extraordinary.

That debut win only came on October 17. In her three subsequent starts she has stepped up in class and distance every time without blinking, taking each challenge in her stride to evolve from a 1400m debut winner, to a BM65 winner over 1600n, to an Eagle Way Quality winner over 2000m to a Group 3 winner over 2100m … with all of these results coming in just a two month period of time.

She has also now won at three different tracks on both good and soft going as the options to her future racing path start to open up very nicely indeed.

An Oaks path is very much the most tempting route to take and Vandyke has confirmed that option is very much on the radar … although he has to make any decision as to whether her mission might be the Australian Oaks or the Queensland Oaks.

Never one to get ahead of himself, Vandyke was happy to just take in the fact that Gypsy Goddess is the first horse he has trained to win a Group race in its first preparation.

“It’s just amazing,” said Vandyke. “I’ve never had a horse win a Group race in its first preparation. Before her Maiden win, she couldn’t beat a horse on the track. Yet now … she’s said, ok I can do this.

“She has climbed the ladder that quickly that you would think mentally she might be a bit hot … but she is just beautiful.

‘She is just an absolute darling. Everyone loves her. Of all the horses in the stable she is the one that has her head over the door for a pat more than any other. She is just so easy to work with.

“I’ll just keep an eye on her over the next few weeks. I’ll see how she is mentally and physically and then we’ll decide where we go next.”

Jockey Stephanie Thornton agreed with Vandyke’s assessment.

‘She is a highly talented filly,” said Thornton.

“I think her attitude is what says it all about her. She is so relaxed. Nothing fazes her. She conserves all of her energy and she knows where the top of the straight is.

“She is a very responsive filly. Whatever you want her to do … she is going to do.

“The idea was just to let her be where she was happy. If that was closer than we were last time or further back, I wasn’t fussed. She was where she wanted to be and I was able to get on the back of Waller’s horse inside the 600m, who I thought would take me where I needed to go.

“Once we straightened up, the race was pretty much history.

“She was brilliant.”

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