Rangeview Stud homebred Modern Girl was a class or two above her rivals winning the Members Appreciation Day Maiden (1000m) in a hand canter at Bunbury on Thursday.
Modern Girl is from the final crop sired by I’m All The Talk (Stratum) at Darling View Thoroughbreds in 2021. She was bred by Rangeview owners Rob and Jody Gray and races for Jody and trainer Sue Naylor who is based nearby in the south-west at Burekup.
The Bunbury breakthrough came second-up following an initial summer prep late last year. She headed off Salve Regina (Snippetson) after they jumped to dictate in front before Lucy Fiore slipped her some reign in the straight.
Modern Girl let down and kept increasing the margin to cruise home by more than four lengths. “It’s a relief because it’s taken time to get here,” Naylor conceded. “She was a bit awkward and would do things wrong but she’s thriving now so it’s onwards and upwards.”
It was an easy watch from the stands tracking a filly with such a prominent white blaze and Fiore reported she had put the writing on the wall first-up. “We were never in danger today. She was run down by Sunset Session last time but ran right through the line today.”
Mai Aloha (Long Leaf) had claimed the first-leg of a day-to-day Rangeview double in the Bisley Workwear Hcp (1000m) at Belmont on Wednesday. The Grays bred her and kept a share in a syndicate managed by Chris Chalwall that also includes Elio Galante and co-trainer Alana Williams.
The midweek victory increased the Mai Aloha bank balance to $171,000 and there’s significant residual value through the Rangeview family of Group 1 winner Barakey (Winterbottom Stakes), Hi On Love and Danci Hil (Champion Fillies Stakes) and Ifestio (Belmont Oaks).
Modern Girl was retained and her NZ-bred dam Moderation (Mastercraftsman) has a new-season yearling colt by Manhattan Rain who will be covering his first book at Rangeview this season for a $6,600 (inc GST) fee after the closure of Geisel Park.
Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago) was runner-up to Playing God in the 2025-26 WA Sires’ Premiership and he can get off to flying start this term when Sabaj races first-up in the G1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.
It’s worth $700,000 and the G1 Toorak Hcp (1600m) back at Caulfield on October 10 carries prizemoney of $1 million. Sabaj won last year’s $500,000 Cranbourne Cup and co-trainer Mick Price indicated his spring grand-final will be at Rosehill on November 7 in the G3 Five Diamonds (1800m) worth $2 million.
