Keepsake wins Kembla Memorial

Miss Keepsake (NZ) bounced back to winning form with an explosive performance in the Bert Lillye Memorial at Kembla Grange on Sunday.

Miss Keepsake (5m Keeper – Jacilo by Entrepreneur) settled off the speed before rattling home to defeat Salade (Snitzel) by two lengths.  She clocked 1:15.63s which was just a tick outside the track record held by her stablemate Neeson.
The Kembla comeback was her first win since the G1 Queensland Oaks in May 2010.  She was originally prepared by Andrew Scott in New Zealand but is now under the care of Joe Pride at Warwick Farm.

“We were very confident after she ran an awesome trial last week,” jockey Christian Reith said.  “She had been lacking confidence but made up for that at Kembla.  If she keeps going like that she’s in for a good campaign.”

Miss Keepsake is a homebred for Tirau based Kylie Fawcett and Eddie Wright who operate Oxford Thoroughbreds.  She is by Cambridge Stud-based Keeper from a half-sister to the G1 gallopers Grosvenor and National Gallery.

The Bert Lillye Memorial was the second leg of a weekend double for her dam Jacilo.  On Saturday, her year younger daughter Villifye (O’Reilly) landed the G2 Windsor Park Stud Japan Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga.

Trainer Graham Richardson indicated the G1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) was next on the agenda for Vilifye (NZ).  “We were thinking twice about running on the slow track,” Richardson said.  “But it was a G2 and her main target is the G1 at Te Aroha so it fitted in nicely.”

Her sire Reilly has now been credited with 56 individual stakes winners and he holds commanding lead in the NZ General Sires’ Premiership.