Trained by Bede Murray the filly burst on to the scene with a bang, scoring in her racetrack at huge odds and then she coontinued through to become a multiple Group One winner.

A daughter of Mr Henrysee, and out of the Opera Prince mare Protective, Victory Vein had 11 starts during the season for eight wins and two seconds. Her only unraced run came when she finished a 2.7 length fourth to Snowland in the listed Gosford Guineas.

Gunned down late in the race in the Golden Slipper by Calaway Gal, Victory Vein scored Group wins in the Silver Slipper (G2), Magic Night Stakes (G2), AJC Sires' Produce Stakes (G1) and the AJC Champagne Stakes (G1).

During the season Victory Vein met and beat many of the leading juveniles including Calaway Gal, Bel Esprit, Half Hennessy, Choisir, Chuckle, Pillaging and Planchet.

Bel Esprit would have probably wrapped up the award if he had managed to win the Golden Slipper instead of finishing an unlucky fifth, beaten just 1.7 lengths by Calaway Gal.

His effort to win the Blue Diamond and his four other starts before the Slipper was outstanding. The son Royal Academy had some barrier problems, but he proved when the barriers opened he was a mean warrior to beat.

Calaway Gal earned her nomination for her first class early season in form which culminated in her scoring a thrilling win over Victory Vein in the Golden Slipper.

Trained by Doomben based Bruce Brown, the daughter of Clang won five of her eights starts, and was once unplaced - at her final fun when she battled home in the Sires' beaten over four lengths by the Slipper runner-up.

Choisir burst on to the scene with a slashing win in the listed Breeders' Plate (1000m) at Warwick Farm back in September. He is the only finalist in the group to have not missed a place in any of his nine starts.

Amassing three wins, four seconds, two third and some $863,900 in stakes, the juvenile son of Danehill Dancer ran third in the Slipper behind the two fillies Calaway Gal and Victory Vein.

He also finished second to Victory Vein in the Sires' and less than two weeks later finished third behind that filly and Half Hennessy in the Champagne Stakes.

Lovely Jubly first shot to prominence when at her second start she lead throughout to thrash the million dollar filly Sunday Joy at Warwick Farm in Sydney. Two runs later she scored a great one length win in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in sweltering conditions on the Gold Coast.

Given a break she didn't return until May and she triumphed in a driving finish to beat Yell in the listed Doomben Slipper. She ended the season by capturing the Group One double of the Sires' Produce and TJ Smith in Brisbane. Connections will be hoping she goes on with things and not follow the efforts of another filly to take the double Juanmo, who went missing after her big double.

As usual powerful Caulfield based trainer Lee Freedman unearthed a top juvenile in the form of the Marauding gelding Pillaging. He ended the season with four wins and two placings for seven starts.

His best win came in the Group One Sires' Produce at Flemington when he thrashed Delago Brom and Tom Coureuse in dashing style. At his next start he popped up to Sydney to hold out Half Hennessy in a thrilling Heroic Championship, for Inglis Sale Graduates.

Pillaging's other two wins came in city class at Sandown in Melbourne and Rosehill in Sydney at his first two starts.

RECORDS OF THE MAJOR CONTENDERS

BEL ESPRIT

1^st of 9 Moonee Valley 27Oct01 Pierre Fontaine Plate (LR) 1000m Dead W Treloar 4 lens 2^nd Bella Vichy
1^st of 8 Flemington 10Nov01 Maribyrnong Plate (G2) 1000m Good W Treloar 4 lens 2^nd Nessuno
1^st of 8 Caulfield 26Jan02 Blue Diamond Preview (G3) 1000m Dead W Treloar 4.5 lens 2^nd C’est la Reve
1^st of 10 Caulfield 10Feb02 Blue Diamond Prelude (G3) 1100m Dead W Treloar 1.5 lens 2^nd Cool Trent
1^st of 14 Caulfield 23Feb02 Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) 1200m Good W Treloar 0.3 lens 2^nd Brief Embrace
5^th of 15 Rosehill 23Mar02 Golden Slipper Stakes (G1) 1200m Good W Treloar 1.7 lens 1^st Calaway Gal

CALAWAY GAL

1^st of 16 Eagle Farm 20Oct01 2YO Fillies Handicap 1000m Good S Katsidis 8 lens 2^nd Whiskey On Ice
1^st of 12 Doomben 03Nov01 2YO Fillies Handicap 1010m Good S Katsidis 6.5 lens 2^nd La Peche
1^st of 9 Doomben 08Dec01 2YO Handicap 1110m Dead S Katsidis 3.3 lens 2^nd Horrocks
1^st of 8 Eagle Farm 15Dec01 McDougall Stakes 1200m Good S Katsidis 5 lens 2^nd Sandasta
3^rd of 7 Canterbury 02Mar02 Sweet Embrace Stakes (G3) 1200m Good S Seamer 2.8 lens 1^st Victory Vein
2^nd of 11 Rosehill 16Mar02 Magic Night Stakes (G2) 1200m Good S Seamer 1.3 lens 1^st Victory Vein
1^st of 15 Rosehill 23Mar02 Golden Slipper Stakes (G1) 1200m Good S Seamer 0.2 lens 2^nd Victory Vein
6^th of 11 Randwick 01Apr02 Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1) 1200m Good S Seamer 4.2 lens 1^st Victory Vein

CHOISIR

1^st of 12 Warwick Farm 22Sep01 Breeders’ Plate (LR) 1000m Good L Beasley 0.5 lens 2^nd Obsession
2^nd of 11 Rosehill 29Dec01 2YO C&G 1MW Handicap 1100m Fast L Beasley 0.5 lens 1^st Blur
2^nd of 12 Canterbury 12Jan02 2YO 1MW Handicap 1100m Good L Cassidy 0.2 lens 1^st Athelnoth
1^st of 11 Warwick Farm 19Jan02 Inglis 2YO Championship 1200m Good L Beasley 2.8 lens 2^nd Pillaging
1^st of 5 Canterbury 02Mar02 Skyline Stakes (G2) 1200m Good L Beasley 1.5 lens 2^nd Emerging Star
2^nd of 7 Rosehill 16Mar02 Pago Pago Stakes (G2) 1200m Good L Beasley 0.1 lens 1^st Planchet
3^rd of 15 Rosehill 23Marc02 Golden Slipper Stakes (G1) 1200m Good L Beasley 1 lens 1^st Calaway Gal
2^nd of 11 Randwick 01Apr02 Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1) 1400m Good L Beasley 2.3 lens 1^st Victory Vein
3^rd of 6 Randwick 13 April02 Champagne Stakes (G1) 1600m Good P Payne 1.2 lens 1^st Victory Vein

LOVELY JUBLY

5^th of 8 Kensington 08Dec01 2YO Handicap 870m Slow L Cassidy 11.1 lens 1^st Victory Vein
1^st of 10 Warwick Farm 22Dec01 2YO Fillies Handicap 1000m Good L Cassidy 3.3 lens 2^nd Sunday Joy
2^nd of 8 Rosehill 29Dec01 2YO Fillies 1MW Handicap 1100m Fast L Cassidy 2.3 lens 1^st Chuckle
1^st of 16 Gold Coast 12Jan02 Magic Millions 2YO Classic 1200m Good S Seamer 1 lens 2^nd Chuckle
1^st of 10 Doomben 06May02 Champagne Classic (G3) 1200m Dead B Prebble 0.1 lens 2^nd Yell
2^nd of 12 Doomben 25May02 Doomben Slipper (LR) 1350m Good B Prebble 0.2 lens 1^st Chickens
1^st of 13 Eagle Farm 01Jun02 Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1) 1400m Good B Prebble 1.8 lens 2^nd Sir Breakfast
1^st of 11 Eagle Farm 10June02 The TJ Smith (G1) 1600m Dead B Prebble 1 lens 2^nd Top Echelon

PILLAGING

1^st of 7 Sandown 16Dec01 2YO SWP 900m Good K McEvoy 1.8 lens 2^nd Morientes
1^st of 10 Rosehill 05Jan02 2YO C&G 1MW 1100m Good B York 1.3 lens 2^nd Mukareena
2^nd of 11 Warwick Farm 19Jan02 Inglis 2YO Classic 1200m Good D Oliver 2.8 lens 1^st Choisir
3^rd of 14 Caulfield 23Feb02 Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) 1200m Good D Oliver 1.2 lens 1^st Bel Esprit
1^st of 11 Flemington 16Mar02 Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1) 1400m Good P Payne 3 lens 2^nd Delago Brom
1^st of 13 Randwick 30Mar02 Heroic 2YO Championship 1300m Good D Oliver 0.2 lens 2^nd Half Hennessy
5^th of 6 Randwick 13Apr02 Champagne Stakes (G1) 1600m Good D Oliver 2.2 lens 1^st Victory Vein

VICTORY VEIN

1^st of 6 Kensington 20Oct01 2YO SW-P 870m Good G Buckley 1.5 lens 2^nd In Good Time
2^nd of 9 Warwick Farm 10Nov01 2YO Fillies 1MW 1000m Good L Beasley 0.4 lens 1^st Air of Grace
1^st of 7 Kensington 24Nov01 2YO Fillies 1MW 870m Dead J Sheehan 7.0 lens 2^nd Fairy Brightia
1^st of 8 Kensington 08Dec01 2YO Handicap 870m Slow J Sheehan 2.0 lens 2^nd Chuckle
4^th of 9 Gosford 30Jan02 Gosford Slipper (LR) 1100m Dead C Brown 2.7 lens 1^st Snowland
1^st of 11 Rosehill 09Feb02 Silver Slipper Stakes (G2) 1100m Slow D Beasley 1.3 lens 2^nd Chuckle
1^st of 7 Canterbury 02Mar02 Sweet Embrace Stakes (G3) 1200m Good D Beasley 1.3 lens 2^nd Chuckle
1^st of 11 Rosehill 16Mar02 Magic Night Stakes (G2) 1200m Good D Beasley 1.3 lens 2^nd Calaway Gal
2^nd of 15 Rosehill 23Mar02 Golden Slipper Stakes (G1) 1200m Good D Beasley 0.2 lens 1^st Calaway Gal
1^st of 11 Randwick 01Apr02 Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1) 1400m Good D Beasley 2.3 lens 2^nd Choisir
1^st of 6 Randwick 13Apr02 Champagne Stakes (G1) 1600m Good D Beasley 0.1 lens 2^nd Half Hennessy

MY VOTE WENT TO: Victory Vein.

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