IMPECCABLY bred harness racing mare Soho Knightley made an impressive Tasmanian debut in Hobart on Sunday night with a comfortable win in a 3YO and older non-winners event over 2090 metres.
Soho Knightley (Mach Three-Pelicanrama) gave her rivals a pacing lesson on her way to a three-metre win over Heres Your Chocky with Chirac a metre astern.
The lightly raced four-year-old looked impressive as she strolled to the lead soon after the start with multiple premiership-winning reinsman Gareth Rattray aboard and she had no trouble staving off challenges over the final 400 metres of the $7000 SEW Eurodrive Stakes over 2090 metres.
Solo Knightley is trained at Lietinna (near Scottsdale) by Kent Rattray who described the mare as “one of the best brad mares in the state”.
The mare was purchased by two of Rattray’s long-time stable clients Nathan and Sandra Bennett at a SOHO dispersal sale for $15,000.
The mare had only had three starts but it was her prospects as a broodmare that encouraged the Bennetts to make the purchase.
The dam Pelicanrama (x Panorama) was a well-performed juvenile winning the Breeders Plate at Leeton before going in to win the Australian Pacing Gold final at Harold Park that carried a purse of $250,000.
While prepared by Peter Manning she also won the 1999 Edgar Tatlow fillies final and the NSW 2YO Sires Stakes final soon after.
She strung together winning sequences of five and six wins before winning nine in succession between June and December 1999.
Pelicanrama ended her racing career a winner of 55 of her 149 starts as well as 37 minor placings for career earnings of $730,271.
With such a brilliant pedigree Soho Knightley will be a valuable broodmare and her purchase price could pale into insignificance if she produces a handy young horse or two when she eventually goes to stud.
Listen to what trainer Kent Rattray had to say about Soho Knightley.