BUCHANAN’S PROPOSAL TO CELEBRATE 20-YEAR MILESTONE

IT’S exactly 20 years since Kristen Buchanan saddled her first runner in Western Australia.

Thus the Wyong trainer would love to celebrate the milestone by winning her first Melbourne race at Flemington on Saturday.

Buchanan was en route to Melbourne this morning with Winning Proposal for the $1m Inglis Sprint (1200m) for eligible three-year-olds.

Buchanan’s first runner was Tingling Sensation, a mare who cost only $400 as a yearling, at Pinjarra on February 27, 2005.

She ran second at $21, and three starts later broke through in a 1400m Maiden Plate at Bunbury.

A further 314 winners have followed and Buchanan, now well established back “home” on the Central Coast, has won races in WA, NSW and Queensland and wasn’t missing the chance to add Victoria to her list.

“The alarm went off at midnight, so I got out of bed and got going to drive Winning Proposal to Melbourne in the truck,” she said, taking time for a brief stopover to chat to ProvincialRacingNSW.

Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jye McNeil will ride Winning Proposal in the Inglis feature, and Buchanan took the filly’s barrier 18 in a field of 19 with calmness.

“You can’t say she has drawn badly when the race is on the straight track,” she said.

“I think she maps to get some cover, provided it’s fair right across the course.”

Buchanan has had only a handful of runners – two of those at Flemington – in Melbourne.

The latest was Chevron, who ran 14th at $71 to Estriella in last year’s edition of the Inglis Sprint.

“I’m going to Flemington feeling I have a much better chance this year,” Buchanan said.

Winning Proposal, a daughter of Shalaa, was a $50,000 purchase for Vardy Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Inglis Premier yearling sale in Melbourne, and has won two of her nine starts.

She scored on debut over 900m at Newcastle on January 27 last year as a two-year-old in a Midway Maiden Plate before finishing fourth in the $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Royal Randwick.

Winning Proposal also won a midweek Warwick Farm race over 1100m against her own sex on a heavy track last June with 59kg (third placegetter Scintilla that day is a Flemington rival again).

Following two starts this preparation, the filly’s latest was when fourth to Photographics in a Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1000m) at Randwick on February 15, Buchanan has opted to race Winning Proposal in a tongue tie on Saturday.

The gear change arose from a recommendation of star Wyong apprentice Anna Roper.

“Anna rode her in trackwork, and felt she was getting up on the ‘chewy a bit too much,” Buchanan explained.

“It’s a $1m race, so there’s no point holding off.”

Winning Proposal was a $34 chance with TAB.com.au this morning. Gatsby’s and Reserve Bank were sharing favoritism at $4.80 in the big field.

Story John Curtis, February 27, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos