It’s a full circle moment for Group One performer Express Yourself (NZ) (Shamexpress) this week, with the daughter of Shamexpress being offered once again on Gavelhouse.com.
The now six-year-old mare was initially purchased off the online platform by trainer Nikki Hurdle as a tried three-year-old, after having two starts as a juvenile.
Hurdle had been taken by the filly when watching her in several trials and was delighted to secure her with a final bid of $6,550 and quickly syndicated her amongst a group of friends.
“She was a horse I had seen trialling, and I really liked her,” Hurdle said. “I couldn’t believe it when she was up on Gavelhouse. We were going to buy her whatever happened.”
While confident she had bought well, Hurdle had no idea the ride Express Yourself would take her on, which resulted in six victories and eight placings, highlighted by her runner-up performance in last year’s Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m), where she was piloted by Hurdle’s jockey son, Ryan Hurdle.
“I had set her up for that race (Telegraph) after she won at Awapuni in her previous campaign, and I thought ‘we have got a really good horse here’,” Hurdle said.
“I planned a campaign based entirely on getting to the Telegraph and she nearly won (runner-up to Mercurial by a nose).
“An ounce of luck and she would have won eight in a row, but instead it was a few seconds by noses. It was a terrific run.”
Following that effort in the Telegraph, Hurdle elected to test Express Yourself’s talent in Australia, where she raced as Expressiveness for Cranbourne trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, for whom she had four starts, including placing in the Listed Alinghi Stakes (1100m) and Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m).
She returned to New Zealand where she won two trials, but following her unplaced run in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham in March, Hurdle elected to pull stumps on her career following feedback from Ryan, who was once again in the saddle.
“After the Lightning, Ryan came back in and said ‘Mum, she didn’t want to be there’, so on that day we made the decision that she didn’t have to do anymore, she had done us proud,” Hurdle said.
“We thought it was her time to move on as a broodmare, and she will be a brilliant broodmare. She is a beautiful type and is just a natural athlete.
“She has been the most wonderful horse for us. Half of the people in the syndicate were having their first experience of horse racing, and she has taken us on a fantastic ride.
“We bought her thinking we could win two or three races, but we ended up in Australia and we nearly won a Group One. She owes us nothing, we love that horse, she is an absolute beauty.
“She was the only one I had in work at the time and it is going to be very hard to get another one like her. You don’t come across horses with x-factor every day, and I think she had that.”
Hurdle said it’s a bittersweet moment to be selling her pride and joy, but dreams to one day have one of her progeny return to her barn.
“Our hope is that she will go to a very good stud that will give her every opportunity,” Hurdle said. “One day, if there is a foal out of her on the market, I will be moving everything to get hold of that foal.”