New mission for Exotique Miss

By Brodie Nickson

Four-year-old mare Exotique Miss was unlucky running fourth in the Group 1 Tatts Tiara at Eagle Farm and arguably should have run a clear second if she didn’t have interference at a vital stage into the straight.

Toowoomba trainer Michael Nolan was full of praise for his mare after the flawless preparation that saw her rise from a Benchmark 85 to placing in the Group 3 Pam O’Neill and an unlucky 0.2-lengths off a Group 1 placing.

“This time in and, I don’t know what it is, this time around after she had a spell and won at Eagle Farm we had a different horse,” Nolan said.

“A different size of horse, different work and everything had gone to another level.

“All those races apart from the Silk Stocking on a Heavy 10, every one of those runs from the Group 3 to the Group 1 she improved.”

Nolan said ‘we didn’t change any gear or anything’ as he maintained the same routine as previous preparations, the key change was she ‘just went to another level of ability’.

“She has always been a beautiful mare to deal with, so can’t say anything changed, but she came in heavier and bulkier and right through all of those runs, and some of them were very tough runs, she would continue to do well,” Nolan said.

“I used to say to the boys each week ‘this mare is in great shape’. It was one of those preps where everything was smooth sailing and at the end of it we ended up in a Group 1.”

Exotique Miss was sent around a $51 chance in the Tatts Tiara

“We (Nolan and the owners) were surprised after the barrier draw came out that we were such ‘liberal odds’ I thought she was around an $8-$10 chance and when she got out to $61 I was surprised,” Nolan said.

“I wasn’t surprised that she ran so well because she had run against a fair few of them before.

“I do think if we didn’t have a bit of a scrimmage coming into the turn onto heels we would have run second clearly.

“We never would have beaten the winner, because it was wide the trip, and descended on them quickly.”

Exotique Miss was beaten 2.56-lengths by dominant winner Tashi and 0.6-lengths off runner-up, Abounding.

The preparation capped off an outstanding few years for a horse who was never meant to be a star.

Owned by Toowoomba locals Paul Reedy and a syndicate of mates, Nolan had purchased every foal out of the mare Outlandish, however, nearly missed Exotique Miss.

Nolan had trained Confessions, Uncommon Valour, metropolitan winner Patches who were all out of Outlandish.

“We were a bit cold on her because the sire (Under The Louvre) hadn’t done anything at the time,” Nolan said.

After failing to reach her reserve in the Rockhampton Capricorn Yearling Sale, Nolan’s uncle, Basil Nolan, brought Exotique Miss back to Raheen Stud and encouraged his nephew to see her.

“Off the back of that I went up to Raheen and had a look at her. I came back to Toowoomba and said to the boys we really should be buying this filly because she is dirt cheap, which she was, and she might grow into a stayer for us,” Nolan said.

“When we broke her in and jumped her out early days there was no rap whatsoever on Exotique Miss.

“They were the instigators in saying ‘you better come look at this filly’.

“Without Basil and James pushing her as a filly to me I don’t think I would have driven the hour up to Raheen to look at her.”

Even when Exotique Miss had proven herself as a three-year-old, Nolan didn’t set out a full winter carnival plan.

“We never planned a three-year-old (preparation) leading up to the Daybreak Lover and we didn’t plan much with her because we had zero expectations. All of a sudden, she keeps winning and people keep saying ‘you got a bloody good filly there Michael’,” Nolan said.

“It was more of a surprise to all of us where we got to.”

Before breaking her maiden Exotique Miss’ career at Toowoomba was not guaranteed when the original majority owner decided to exit ownership.

Nolan reached out to prominent owner Paul Reedy who bought the share unsighted.

“One of the owners in there decided to exit the horse and he owned 82 per cent of her and put it up for sale,” Reedy said.

“Michael Nolan rang me and said he needed someone to buy into this horse, otherwise they will sell it down south. Are you interested?”

Reedy accepted a 50 per cent share as some other owners increased their own shares for instant success.

“When I bought into her she raced maybe four weeks later and won a QTIS Three-Year-Old race worth maybe $26,000 at Toowoomba, so I got my money back straight away,” Reedy said.

“I was pretty damn happy.”

Shaun Buckle, Paul Reedy, Tony Franke, Chris Tait and David Robinson are all local Toowoomba boys and, along with their wives and families, have been taken on a good journey.

“The boys that were already in the horse I knew anyway through school, football or races and it was a fantastic thing to be in there with them,” Reedy said.

“Michael was looking for someone to buy and I happened to be the one he called.

“The boys get up at the crack of dawn to watch her work at Clifford Park every Saturday morning.

“When we first got in we thought she might be good enough to win a few or get to Brisbane.”

Reedy is a successful owner himself with  the prominent blue and white silks worn by Exotique Miss already popular across South East Queensland.

He has enjoyed great success as an owner, including owning Group 3 winner Russian Alliance.

“I have had horses in other Group races and won them, but [it’s my] first time in a Group 1 and a good race to be in, Reedy said.

“I suppose you look at the field and the reason why they might perform better than you. You try to measure up your own and you get a little nervous.”

Exotique Miss will enjoy a break and return to work to target the Weetwood Handicap fresh.

“Our plan at this stage is to give her three weeks off and have her ready first-up for the Weetwood in Toowoomba,” Nolan said.

“The boys who are in her would love a Weetwood and I would love to win my fourth one.

“After that we will have a look at the summer program in Queensland, which is very lucrative or, as Rachel says, she wouldn’t be out of place taking her to a fillies and mares race in Sydney.”