Alagant Satin Aiming for Top Spot

Alagant Satin will be looking to back up from her win on Boxing Day to secure top position in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series when she contests the $125,000 Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie tomorrow.

Alagant Satin (Al Akbar - Glowing Satin, by Noble Bijou), the filly with the picket-fence form line, only needs to place in the event to take the lead in the prestigious Filly of the Year Series. The Group 2 Royal Stakes is the first race in the Series contested over a distance further than a mile, the 2000m event set to test the stamina of the full field of fourteen three-year-old fillies.

The Royal Stakes offers valuable Filly of the Year Series points for the first three home in the race, eight points for first, four for second place, and two points for the third place getter. Last start Group 2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) winner Alagant Satin currently sits second in the Series on fourteen points, one point behind current leader Daffodil (No Excuse Needed) on fifteen points, and one in front of Juice (Bertolini) on thirteen points. Neither Daffodil nor Juice will contest the race leaving the valuable points up for Alagant Satin and rivals to grab.

Listed Soliloquy Lodge Stakes winner Awesome Planet (Giant's Causeway - Dance on the Moon, by Fasliyev) is the only other filly in the race capable of leading the Filly of the Year table after tomorrow's event. Currently on seven and a half points, a win would see her jump to the top of the Series leader board, providing that Alagant Satin ran unplaced.

Lady Alberton (Golan - Alberton Star, by Stylish Century), Walk In The Park (Thorn Park - Spritza, by Grosvenor), and Mill Duckie (Magic Ring - Vintage Class, by Masterclass) all contest the race after finishing third, fourth, and fifth respectively, to Alagant Satin in the Eight Carat Classic. Their connectionswill be hoping that the extra 400m of the Royal Stakes will help their charges reverse the result on the filly that has now won four in a row.

Impetus (Zabeel - Selvorine, by Selkirk) is a filly moving nicely through the grades for trainer Richard Collet, and her pedigree suggests she will relish the step up in distance to 2000m after two wins this season at 1400m and 1600m. She is by Champion sire Zabeel, well known for his superior staying performers, while her third dam is Ivanjica (Sir Ivor), 1975 French Three-Year-Old Filly of the Year, whose six victories included the Group 1 Longchamp Prix de l'Arc de Troimphe.

Te Akau Coup (Thorn Park - Beyond the Sunset, by Gone West) will be looking to recapture the form that saw her win twice as a two-year-old, her victories including the Group 2 Duke of Bedford Matamata Breeders Stakes (1200m).

The remainder of the field have won one race apiece, and they will be looking to their stamina reserves to double that figure for them tomorrow.

The full field (including emergencies) of contestants for Race 6 at Ellerslie, the Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes (2000m) at 4.10pm is: