Debutante 2YO filly Silhouette delivered a dream start for Mapperley Stud based sire Armory when providing Galileo’s champion son with his initial first-crop 2YO winner at Trentham at the weekend. 

Trained by Cody Cole, Silhouette proved too slick in the 900m event, quickening up in a very professional manner to score a dominant 4 ¼ length victory over her opponents in the Fusion Electrical Two-Year-Old Stakes.

ARMORY filly SILHOUETTE winning on debut at Trentham                                             Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images PN)

Silhouette had trialed well when third prior to her first raceday outing and given her current progression she shapes as a classy prospect for Cole, who purchased the filly from the draft of Trelawney Stud for $120,000 at this year’s Karaka Book 1 Yearling Sale.

“I wasn’t surprised by the performance,” Cole said. ”She always looked like she could have taken that improvement from her trial and she has a brilliant action and attitude.

“I wouldn’t have gone to Trentham on debut if she didn’t have such a good constitution. We thought she was the right type of horse to go to a race like that because she eats and she isn’t fazed by anything, she is just a real easy, trainable horse.

“She is only going to be better with six months under her belt but the way she covers the ground, she has got a pretty effective galloping action.

“She will go to the paddock and it might be a week or it might be a month, but she wants more time. Whatever she is doing now she will improve on if we do the right thing by her.”

While Cole hasn’t ruled out a tilt at the Listed TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), the Matamata conditioner said black-type options such as the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) on December 20 could also be on her agenda.

“If we can get to the Karaka Millions and it works for her we will have a crack but at the same time, bearing in mind her breeding future, I’d like to get some black-type first,” he said.

“It all depends on how she does in the next week. She has got to bounce through everything pretty well to be doing that and I will be putting the horse first.”

The first winner for Galileo’s son Armory, a Group Two winner at two and Group One placed before training on to be European Champion 3YO and runner-up in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), Silhouette is out of the Exceed and Excel mare Fashion Sense, whose grand dam is star mare Elegant Fashion, winner of the Hong Kong Derby.

“She is a lovely balanced type with the scope to grow into a nice late two-year-old and early three-year-old,” Cole said.

“I went to the sales to buy a filly that I thought we can get some black type with and enhance her value, and I just loved her.”

Mapperley Stud’s Simms Davison was delighted to see his popular young sire Armory register an early success.

“What a fantastic start for him, a winner from his first ever runner is very exciting,” Davison said.

“It’s a massive boost to get a winner so early, but it’s the style she did it in which makes you think there is a lot more to come from this filly.

“Armory’s early two-year-old performances were a key attraction to securing him. Physically he’s a strong forward type himself so it’s great to see him leave a two-year-old like her.  

“He’s a horse who performed at the highest level himself from two to four years of age which shows his brilliant temperament, soundness and toughness which is what we all want in our racehorses.

“Silhouette looked an absolute professional for a two-year-old having her first start, it’s a real credit to Cody and I’m thrilled he’s got a nice one in his stable.”

Owned in conjunction with Windsor Park Stud, Cambridge, Armory stands at Mapperley Stud this season for $10,000+gst and has covered more than 100 mares in each of his first three seasons at stud.