Second and fourth in 1600m Group One races in her two previous starts, De Armas (Ardrossan) stepped up in distance at Flemington on Saturday and opened her Australian account in style in the A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes (2000m).
The New Zealand-bred Ardrossan filly was bought for only $16,000 by Benner Racing from Elsdon Park during the 2025 NZB National Online Yearling Sale on Gavelhouse Plus. From seven starts, De Armas has now recorded three wins and a placing and has earned A$508,668.
Johno Benner trained De Armas to win two of her three starts as a two-year-old last season including the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m). She then finished fourth in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) before OTI Racing bought a majority share of the ownership and transferred her into the stable of Chris Waller.
After a fifth on her Australian debut in late September, Waller threw De Armas in at the deep end, and she produced eye-catching efforts for second in the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) and fourth in the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m).
Those performances earned $3.60 favouritism for De Armas when she stepped up to 2000m on Saturday, and the extra distance proved to be right up her alley.
Jockey Blake Shinn took up a position in ninth and one off the rail, midway through a widely strung out field as Icelady set a strong pace out in front.
Shinn presented De Armas on the outside at the top of the straight, and she quickened smartly to take command. She went on to win by a length and a quarter from Girl With A Pearl and Icelady.
“She had it won at the 400m, albeit doing a few little things wrong, but her class shone through,” Shinn said.
“She’s still not an easy ride by any means. She really was quite unbalanced getting around the turn. I was really trying to coach her to get on to her right leg, her offside leg, just to balance out. It took me a little bit to get her to change, but she won authoritatively and ran the distance out nicely.”
The Wakeful is recognised as a key lead-up to the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) on Thursday, with a decision yet to be made by the Waller stable.
“She’s entered for the Oaks, so Chris and the team will see how she pulls up,” assistant trainer Darren Beadman said. “OTI Racing have got a very handy filly on their hands.
“That was a 12-out-of-10 ride by Blake. We were quite fortunate that they did roll along in the race, running good sectionals, which probably allowed him to be a little bit further back and just to rest her. She chimed into the race probably a little bit too well and got to the front probably a little bit too quick, but we won’t knock that one back.”
Shinn believes the extra 500m of the Oaks will pose few problems.
“Chris is the best person to decide that, but I don’t think the distance will be a problem,” he said. “It’s just whether he thinks she’s physically and mentally ready for that challenge. It’s up to him.”
De Armas was bred by Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock Ltd and is one of nine stakes winners by Ardrossan, who stands for a $20,000 service fee at Waikato Stud.
The dam of Ardrossan is the Rip Van Winkle mare Regal Winks, who won twice over 1200m. She is a half-sister to the Listed Singapore Juvenile Championship (1400m) runner-up Iffragal, while another half-sister is the four-time winner Angel Child, dam of stakes performers Kronenbourg and Pushy.
De Armas is one of two winners from four foals to race out of Regal Winks, who has a two-year-old son by Banquo and returned to Ardrossan last spring.
