Etah James
Etah James (foaled 21 November 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trained and bred in New Zealand and raced in New Zealand and Australia. She has won a Group One race, and over a million dollars.
| Etah James | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Raise The Flag |
| Grandsire | Sadler's Wells |
| Dam | Etah |
| Damsire | Danasinga |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 21 November 2012 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Colour | Brown |
| Owner | M Lupton, Mrs C R Lupton, T C Reid & G R Howes |
| Trainer | Ciaron Maher and David Eustace |
| Record | 30: 8-2-1 |
| Earnings | A$1,066,994 |
| Major wins | |
| Lord Reims Stakes (G3)(2018) Sydney Cup (G1)(2020) | |
| Last updated on 16 April 2020 | |
Career
Etah James had her first race at Cranbourne on 21 April 2017, finishing sixth. A month, she had her first win at Mildura, collecting $11,000, before a four-month spell.
Between 26 September and 3 March 2018, Etah James progressed through the grades from a BM58 to a Group 3, winning five times in eight starts, the last six with Linda Meech as jockey. Paying $3.20 in the Lord Reims Stakes, "it was left to some Linda Meech magic to steer home" Etah James for her first victory in a Group race.[1]
Meech, being dual-registered as a trainer, was not able to ride Etah James in its next campaign. Trainer Matt Cumani said, "The most important thing to me is to have continuity with riders and our horses, so it is disappointing that she can’t ride. Hopefully it can be looked at and we’ll do everything we can to help her try."[2] Etah James contested five events between August and November, failing to place in any. In her last race, she led before finishing 25 lengths behind the winner.[3]
In April 2019, she returned to New Zealand where she was trained by part-owner Mark Lupton. She had four races in New Zealand, placing once. She returned to Australia and Cumani to contest the Tattersall's Cup in June,[4] leading early before collapsing late.[5]
In her next campaign, Etah James failed to place in six of seven races. She did, however, win the $300,000 Pakenham Cup at a price of $61. Jockey Fred Kersley said, "I've never won a black type race so to get that it means a lot to me. Speaking to the boss (Cumani) earlier today, he gave me a fair bit of confidence. The horse was rock-hard fit for today and had been working up nicely."[6]
In February 2020, Etah James returned again to New Zealand, finishing third and fourth in the Avondale Cup and Auckland Cup respectively.
In March, Etah James returned to Australia, this time to trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. Cumani said, "I knew they wanted to run in the Sydney Cup — it was either send her over to me for a week and then I had to get her to Sydney during the COVID crisis, which wouldn’t have been easy, or give her to Ciaron and David who had stables in Sydney."[7] Etah James won the race, her first Group 1, by a head. Jockey Glen Boss said, "I’ve been riding her work and I trialled her here in a very fast trial and I said, 'this is flying, this thing'. I was expecting to run one, two or three. That last 400m felt like an eternity, because we were going so slow."[8]
References
- "Clever punter wins $81,000 when four-leg multi comes up trumps". Herald Sun.
- Matt Nicholls. "Racing NSW should pull its head in". Roar.
- "Etah James". punters.com.au.
- "Etah James returns to Australian racing". punters.com.au.
- Lucy Henderson. "2019 Tattersall's Cup Results: Vow And Declare Too Good". horseracing.com.au.
- Carl di Iorio. "Etah James wins Pakenham Cup". racing.com.
- Michael Manley. "Trainer Matt Cumani had mixed emotions about Etah James but hopes to win The Showdown". Perth Now.
- Christian Nicolussi. "'The best 30-1 shot I'll ride in a group 1': Etah proves Boss right". The Sydney Morning Herald.