Full-circle moment for retired Prioress
In a full-circle moment, Group Three performer Prioress is being reoffered on gavelhouse.com this week following her retirement from racing.
The daughter of Proisir was initially trained in Palmerston North by Lisa Latta, for whom she won four races before being offered on gavelhouse.com two years ago, and she was sold to Gordon’s bid of $7,250.
She would go on to win three races for the Horowhenua horsewoman, including the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth in July, which she quinellaed with stablemate and fellow gavelhouse.com graduate Turn The Ace, recording Gordon’s first stakes win in the process.
Buoyed by that result, Gordon crossed the Cook Strait with the pair to contest last month’s Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton, where Prioress finished third behind Quintabelle, in what would be her last career start.
“She’s done such a great job,” Gordon said. “Having her give me my first stakes win in the Opunake Cup was an obvious highlight, and she was probably a bit unlucky in the Winter Cup after that as well. She just got held up at a crucial stage at the top of the straight, but it was still a huge run to finish third, and she did us proud.
“She’s just tweaked a suspensory, so that’s the reason why we’ve decided to put her up for sale now as a breeding prospect. It’s nothing major, but she’s eight now and doesn’t really have anything more to prove.
“She’s a lovely, lovely all-round mare. She’s a big girl with huge bone, she’s jet black and has a wonderful nature. I have no doubt that she’ll make a lovely mum.”
Prioress won seven and placed in 21 of her 61 career starts and earned more than $310,000 in prizemoney.
The latest gavelhouse.com auction is currently live, with bidding set to close from 7pm on Monday, September 14.
