Estijaab’s Daughter Scores on Australian Debut

Bets.com.au Staff

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Last updated: Wed 29 Apr 2026 05:15

Bets.com.au Staff 29 Apr 2026

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Ertijaaj salutes in her Australian debut at Caulfield Heath
Trained by Chris Waller, the four-year-old recorded a soft win under Ben Melham
She's a daughter of Estijaab, 2018 Golden Slipper winner

Ben Melham rides Ertijaaj to win at Caulfield Heath on April 29. (Getty)

Ertijaaj made a winning start to her Australian career at Caulfield Heath on Wednesday, April 29, finishing over the top of the field to score by a half-length under Ben Melham after settling toward the rear.

Now trained by Chris Waller, the four-year-old had raced only once previously in the UK, where she placed at Haydock, before arriving in Australia.

Ertijaaj is by Night Of Thunder out of Estijaab, the 2018 Golden Slipper winner who earned more than $2.5 million from just seven starts and was crowned Australia’s Champion 2YO after also taking out the Reisling Stakes.

A $1.7 million yearling at the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Estijaab raced only through her two- and three-year-old seasons before being retired in 2019, with her connections opting to move her to the breeding barn following her Group 1 success.

She was subsequently sent to the United Kingdom as part of Emirates Park’s breeding program to access leading northern hemisphere stallions, producing progeny by Frankel and Night Of Thunder.

That approach has produced Ejaabiyah, a Frankel filly trained by Roger Varian, who has raced four times for two wins and a Listed placing and was last seen in July 2024 when finishing fifth as an odds-on favourite in the Lyric Fillies’ Stakes at York.

The result brings Estijaab’s progeny back to race in Australia, with Ertijaaj becoming the first of her European-bred daughters to record a victory in the same jurisdiction where her dam made her name.