Breeding & Racing Magazine

La Amistad Wins Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes

At Flemington in Melbourne, Arrowfield Stud's reigning Champion Australian Sire Redoute's Choice (Danehill-Shantha's Choice, by Canny Lad) added a black-type success when 5YO mare La Amistad (Redoute's Choice-Tugela, by Riverman) scored by 2-lengths for trainers Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes in the $200,000 Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (3200m) for 3YO+, over 4YO gelding Sonntag (Teofilo-Parfaits, by Strategic) & 6YO gelding Zabeelionaire (Zabeel-Kisumu, by Carnegie). La Amistad, who is a three-quarter sister to champion mare Makybe Diva, took her record to 6 wins (including the Listed WJ McKell Cup) & 5 placings (including the Gr3 Lexus Stakes) from 21 starts for $336,240 earnings. Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said that La Amistad's long-term goal was the Melbourne Cup in the spring, where she would bid to emulate her famous sibling Makybe Diva. "It's a long way from now until the Melbourne Cup but at least we've got some sort of chance," Hawkes said. "She wasn't good enough last year and I said that publicly but she's started to do it on her own accord now and that's great." La Amistad was retained to race by a syndicate headed by her breeder Makybe Racing & Breeding after she was passed in for $725,000 at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.