Innovation Girl Brilliant in Dermody
By Fional Tomlin of Cyberhorse 27/07/02

The wraps on boom two-year-old filly Innovation Girl were justified this afternoon after she recorded the easiest of victories in the Group Three Dermody Stakes (for two and three-year-olds) at Cheltenham.

A touch tardily away, after displaying impatience in the gates, Innovation Girl soon assumed control of the race showing her eight rivals a proverbial ‘clean set of heels’.

With partner Kerrin McEvoy sitting quietly aboard the filly made good time on the dead surface, running her last 600m in a slick 33:82 seconds, overall time 57:95. In her wake were her fellow two-year-olds Dual Spark and Presumed Innocent beaten 2-½ and 1-½ lengths respectively.

The win, her first of potentially many in black type events, took Innovation Girl’s record to four wins and a second from five starts and $174,950 in prize money.

Another of the flying Rubiton brigade, Innovation Girl has impressed trainer Brian Mayfield Smith

"She’s a very good filly. It was a nice first up run today," he said.

McEvoy reported that Innovation Girl was relaxed in the run, never attempting to over race at any stage, despite the generous pace. Mayfield-Smith hopes that this attribute will enable his filly to stretch to 1400 metres, perhaps for races such as the Tranquil Star, a Group Three event for three-year-old fillies at Caulfield in September.

OE & DR Pope, managers of the Pope Racing Syndicate who race the filly in partnership with CL Harvey, bred Innovation Girl and spell the filly at their Adelaide Hills property Oakbank Farm.

Innovation Girl, by the aforementioned Rubiton, is from the stakes placed mare Bright Gleam, a three-quarter sister to AJC Doncaster winner Soho Square.

Incidentally, Oakbank Farm sold Bright Gleam in foal to Rubiton at the 2001 Victorian Weanling and Thoroughbred Sale (for $30,000) some four months prior to Innovation Girl’s first racetrack appearance.

Brian Mayfield-Smith confirmed his opinion of Innovation Girl by outlaying $130,000 for her full sister at this year’s Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sales. That filly is as yet unnamed.