Leading owner-breeder John Richards won the SUPER VOBIS Horse of the Year crown with Ava’s Delight in 2012-13 and he was back with another Artie Schiller winner at Sandown on Wednesday.

A Chiller (4m Artie Schiller – Lim’s Special by Secret Savings) continued her rise up the ratings with a strong finish to the Hayman Plate over 2100 metres.  The Darren Weir trained mare has won three of her last four starts after earlier collects at Moonee Valley and Mornington.

She is the only foal from an unraced daughter of Adeewin, a Group 2 winner at Warwick Farm and Moonee Valley who continued racing in Hong Kong before an all too brief career at stud back in Australia.

Richards completed a double on the Lakeside circuit with the Weir trained Red Corner (Haradasun) in the Le Pine Funerals (Hcp) on Wednesday.  His horses race for Galadi Holdings and other recent winners under that banner include Lake Sententia Scarlet Billows and El Divine.

Richards and his mate Melville Charles also race Ava’s Delight with Weir and she earned black type behind star mare Red Tracer in the G2 Tristarc Stakes at Caulfield in October.

Ava’s Delight (4m Artie Schiller – Costa Kara by Encosta De Lago) kick-started her career with a Donald maiden in August 2012 and followed with Super VOBIS wins at Bendigo, Caulfield and Moonee Valley last year.

“She just thrives on racing and we didn’t specifically target Super VOBIS races,” Weir said.  “But the bonuses made the wins all that more rewarding.

“Ava’s Delight is very simple to train – we don’t do much with her at home but she just gets better with racing.”

Artie Schiller (USA) was a Group 1 winner of the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Mile.  A son of El Prado, he began shuttling from Kentucky to Independent Stallions in 2007 and is now covers his southern books at Emirates Park Victoria for a $22,000 (inc gst) fee.

AVA’S DELIGHT
Galadi Holdings mare is the reigning Super VOBIS Horse of the Year