When it comes to racetrack performances there are wins and there are wins. Those punters who’d hammered Shadows Of Love into favouritism in Saturday’s Midway groaned in unison as the mare hit a brick wall at the 200m. Their despair was shared by a large ownership group, and by trainer Kim Waugh who has a soft spot for the daughter of Dissident.
Shadows Of Love was poised in fifth spot one horse off the fence as they turned for home in the 1200m Midway, with Black Duke on her outside. On straightening Tommy Berry commenced the delicate task of easing Black Duke out of the way, but that gelding’s jockey Tom Sherry obviously still conceded himself a fighting chance. The Berry/Sherry duel resulted in Shadows Of Love being politely returned to her previous spot.
In desperation Berry switched to the inside of Flying Destiny to find there was not a hint of clear running. With time rapidly running out he was left with no alternative but to have another crack at shifting Black Duke. This time he had better luck. With the latter dropping off slightly Berry was able to navigate into clear air, but with four lengths to make up his chances still looked forlorn. The rangy mare’s finishing burst left her supporters with mouths agape. In swamping Sumo Star and Flying Destiny she brought up Kim’s ninth Midway win since the introduction of the concept in July of 2021.
Shadows Of Love (Tommy Berry) charges late to snatch victory in the TAB Highway. It was an amazing performance from the lightly raced mare - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
The Shadows Of Love story began when Louis Mihalyka, founder and CEO of Laurel Oak Bloodstock was able to buy a Written Tycoon - Cosmic Choice filly for an unheard of $5000 at the 2014 Inglis Premier Sale. Named Sky Dazzle, the filly was syndicated and joined the Mornington stables of long time Laurel Oak “go-to” trainer Tony Noonan. She was well short of stakes class and in fact raced only six times, but managed to win a Sale maiden before finishing second in an open sprint at Moonee Valley. Her smidgeon of ability and an infusion of speed through sire Written Tycoon and grandsire Redoute’s Choice, prompted Louis to recruit her to Laurel Oak’s small broodmare band. Sky Dazzle’s breeding barn achievements already far outweigh her racetrack CV.
Her first foal, a gelding by Star Witness was named Perseids and is a five time winner to date - individual wins at Bendigo, Geelong, and Eagle Farm with two victories on the Sunshine Coast. Sky Dazzle’s second foal, a full sister to Perseids has won a race at Mornington and another at Moonee Valley. “She’s called Dazzling Lucy and has run a couple of really nice races at stakes level,” says Louis Mihalyka. “In fact she finished fifth less than four lengths behind Wishlor Lass in the Gr 3 Tesio Stakes on Cox Plate day. There might be a black type race for her down the track.”
Sky Dazzle’s third foal Shadows Of Love, was bred by Laurel Oak and clients and has already posted three wins and two placings for $138,000. She’s by Dissident, a five time Group 1 winner and BMW Australian Horse Of The Year in 2014/2015. Shadows Of Love is the first and only horse trained for the company by Wyong based Kim Waugh. “My admiration for Kim goes way back to the days when I was a regular at the famous Harold Park trots,” recalled Louis. “She was a very accomplished race driver at that stage of her career and was regularly in the winner’s circle at the popular Glebe track. I have vivid memories of Kim winning races with a talented little mare called Ranji Bill. She and the chestnut mare got on famously, and perhaps that’s why I was sure to send her a filly when the time came to engage her as a Laurel Oak trainer.”
Kim Waugh (nee Moore) after one of many Harold Park wins on the brilliant mare Ranji Bill in the early 1980s - courtesy Club Menangle.
Kim’s admiration for Shadows Of Love is largely attributable to the courage displayed by the filly following a freak accident at the trainer’s Jilliby property in 2021. “She was only a two year old at the time and was having a break in one of our spelling paddocks,” said Kim. “We had the most frightening storm one night. I’d never experienced thunder and lightning like it and we knew instantly we’d be lucky to escape without casualties. Shadows Of Love actually went through a fence and sustained the most horrific gash on the outside of her off foreleg between the fetlock and knee. The impact had also caused a hairline fracture of the pedal bone. It was a sickening sight and left us with little hope for her future.
“Her attitude throughout a long and tedious rehabilitation was amazing. She never stopped trying to help us. We were able to stay on top of any infection, and there appeared to be no significant internal damage. Had she contacted the flexible railing she would have gotten off lightly. Unfortunately, she took the full brunt on one of the downposts. She carries a dreadful scar, but thankfully she’s as sound as a bell. The enforced time off was probably a blessing in disguise. She was gangly and immature as a two year old and furnished a lot during her time out. We got very close to her during those months, and I’ll never forget the way she handled a pretty tough time.”
Kim's affection for Shadows Of Love was evident in the Rosehill birdcage on Saturday - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
When the new Shadows Of Love syndicate was formalised, Louis noticed that several members were actually based in north coast regions. It occurred to the respected bloodstock agent that those owners would appreciate having the filly trained close to home. “It was only a matter of time before we got Kim to train a Laurel Oak horse,” he said. “Because of the location of several owners this filly seemed to be the logical choice. Kim’s record speaks for itself and she’s a noted trainer of fillies and mares.”
The naming of the Dissident filly makes for a good yarn. As many owners do, one syndicate member started to refer to the newborn foal as Delilah. There was obviously something about the demeanour of the filly which triggered thoughts of the biblical Delilah who according to the scriptures was the mistress of strongman Samson. Legend has it that Delilah, in an act of betrayal robbed Samson of his strength by cutting off his hair. Whatever the connection the filly’s nickname seemed to suit, and it wasn’t long before most syndicate members joined in.
It’s common practice for racehorse syndicates to swap opinions about likely names for their thoroughbred acquisitions. After intensive consultation it was decided that the syndicate would apply for a name derived from three words in the opening verse of the legendary song “Delilah”. This classic was a massive hit for superstar Tom Jones when released in 1967, and remains a much requested number in clubs and cabarets around the world. Although the storyline of the song has sinister undertones, the opening verse is familiar to music lovers of all ages. “I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window. I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind.”
The legacy of the violent storm of 2021, delayed the Dissident filly’s debut until September of last year. She finished just behind the placegetters in maiden company on two occasions at Hawkesbury and Newcastle. Kim was happy enough, but was of the opinion Shadows Of Love needed more time. With the owners in accord she returned to the paddock for a long break. The patience of those owners was admirably rewarded five months later, when Shadows Of Love scored a gutsy maiden win at Hawkesbury with Keagan Latham on board. They only had to wait another twelve days for a repeat performance. The filly treated a Class 1 field at Gosford with contempt in winning by a tick under four lengths.
Win number 2 for Shadows Of Love - a Cl 1 at Gosford in March 2023 with Keagan Latham on board - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
For a few wild seconds on April 5th syndicate members got ready to celebrate a hat trick when their filly raced greenly but showed plenty of fight to nose out the Waller trained Olentia in a Hawkesbury BM 68. Shadows Of Love had ducked out sharply at the 150m and made fairly heavy contact with Olentia prompting stable foreman Charlie Duckworth to instigate an objection against the Laurel Oak filly. Owners were gutted when the stewards saw fit to uphold the objection. Some of them celebrated anyway. Kim believes Shadows Of Love had simply gone off the boil when unplaced at her following start seventeen days later. For a filly whose career had been in the balance a year earlier, Shadows Of Love had done a darn good job. The paddock beckoned.
The four year old mare resumed in an 1100m BM 72 at Warwick Farm on October 11th, and there were plenty of excuses. She copped two hefty checks in the straight before finishing fifth only 1.5 lengths behind the talented Fire Lane. Form students didn’t miss the trouble, and it was no surprise when Shadows Of Love was sent out favourite at $2.60 in a BM 72 on the Kensington track two weeks later. She tried hard before going under narrowly to the Kris Lees trained Cloudland. It was a very fit mare who lined up in Saturday’s Midway. It was a very talented mare who overcame extreme difficulty to win impressively.
Breeding enthusiasts might take note that Shadows Of Love has a half brother by Sooboog who will probably have his first start before this story is posted. His name is Dazzling Sky and he’s trained by Laurel Oak’s old friend Tony Noonan. Sky Dazzle has no current two year old, but there’s a yearling filly by Impending coming along, and she currently has a Rebel Dane colt at foot. Three foals for three winners of a combined eleven races is a flying start to the stud career of a mare who cost only $5000 as a yearling in 2014.
The innately talented Kim Waugh tells me she’s more than happy to immerse herself in the training of her 36 horse team at the very popular Wyong training centre on the NSW Central Coast. Most of the horses are housed in dual barns at the Wyong racecourse, but frequently get to spend time at the trainer’s twenty hectare farm just minutes away at Jilliby. The property features six huge paddocks in which several horses can be turned out together, with another fourteen one horse paddocks. Named Mahtoum Lodge after Kim’s 2005 Sydney Cup winner, the classy facility also offers an arena and treadmill.
Kim at home with a key member of the Jilliby team, resident donkey the inimitable Bully.
The brilliant win by Shadows Of Love helped ease Kim’s disappointment in having to scratch stablemate Estephania from a very suitable Class 1 at the Wyong meeting. “I was really disappointed when Estephania came up with a slightly elevated temperature on race morning,” said the trainer. “She’d been an impressive winner at her only previous start at Gosford, and I was pretty confident she’d repeat the dose at Wyong. There are more wins in store.”
Kim’s also upbeat about an unraced three year old maiden she has in the stable with the appealing name of Bojangles. Being a son of Showtime it’s clear he was named after the legendary dancer, actor and singer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson who was one of America’s most highly paid entertainers in the early part of the twentieth century. Kim’s Bojangles contested maiden races in July at Warwick Farm and Gosford finishing a close up fourth in both. “He improved sharply after those two runs and was ready to win when he came down with a bug,” said the trainer. “We had to give him some time off and start again. He’s back in training and I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Bradley Photographers got this one of Kim at a Newcastle meeting a few years ago - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Shadows Of Love sprouted wings to win the TAB Highway. On her inside is 3rd placegetter Flying Destiny - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)