Canterbury Belle Kickstarts NZB Southern Filly Series
11 September 2025
A week after the NZB Filly of the Year Series roared to life with the Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) in the North Island, the spotlight shifts south with the launch of the prestigious NZB Southern Filly of the Year Series.
Saturday’s $80,000 Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton is the first leg of the four-race southern series, which runs alongside its North Island equivalent. NZB strongly supports fillies racing in New Zealand through sponsorship of both series, in which the country's three-year-old fillies battle it out for the coveted titles.
Each race in the Southern Filly Series is worth 7 points for the winner, 4 points for second and 2 for third. At the conclusion of the series, the connections of the table-topping filly will receive an insurance policy from NZB Insurance to the value of $50,000 + GST. They will also be presented with the NZB Southern Filly of the Year trophy during the South Island Racing Awards.
Previous winners of the Southern Filly Series include the subsequent multiple Group One winners Final Touch (NZ) (Kashani) and Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel).
A talented line-up of fillies will attempt to begin to follow in those illustrious footsteps with crucial early Southern Filly points in Saturday’s Canterbury Belle Stakes.
The field features no fewer than seven winners, including last season’s Group Two winner Intention (NZ) (Bivouac) and unbeaten Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) winner Bona Sforza (Written By).
Miss Ziggy (NZ) (Brazen Beau) made her mark on one of New Zealand two-year-old racing’s biggest stages last season with a close third in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie.
Five-time Canterbury Belle winners Te Akau Racing hold another strong hand including Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel), who has won four of her six starts, and impressive recent lead-up winner Belle Du Monde (Zoustar).
The NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes will be run as Race 7 at Riccarton on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 3.58pm.
| # | HORSE | DRAW | COMMENTS | SALE | PURCHASER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cool Aza Rene | 5 | Te Akau Racing boasts five wins in the Canterbury Belle Stakes - Shikoba (NZ) (Chief Bearhart) in 2005, Darci's Dream (NZ) (Darci Brahma) in 2014, Windborne (NZ) (Darci Brahma) in 2015, One Kiss (NZ) (Tivaci) in 2022 and Viva Vienna (NZ) (All Too Hard) in 2023. Their arsenal for this year's race includes Cool Aza Rene, a classy daughter of the powerhouse stable's 2020 Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) hero Cool Aza Beel (NZ) (Savabeel). From six starts, Cool Aza Rene has recorded four slick wins, along with a second and a fifth. | ||
| 2 | Bona Sforza | 1 | Manawatu trainer Samantha Finnegan went to $150,000 to buy Bona Sforza (Written By) from Highline Thoroughbreds' Book 1 draft at Karaka 2024. That purchase was immediately rewarded in the filly's only two-year-old start, with Bona Sforza scoring a blistering win by two and a half lengths in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m). | Karaka 2024, Book 1 | S Finnegan, $150,000 |
| 3 | Miss Starlight | 8 | Miss Starlight (NZ) (Sweynesse) has a perfect two-from-two record to date, with both victories coming on Riccarton's synthetic track. She was a smart winner by four lengths on debut back in May, then returned to action with a tough Rating 65 win on August 6 despite laying in during the run home. She could be open to further improvement. | ||
| 4 | Belle Du Monde | 2 | The second Te Akau runner in this year's field is Belle Du Monde (Zoustar), who was bought by David Ellis for $400,000 from Kaha Nui Farm's draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2024. She finished second in both of her first two starts last season, then was unplaced in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). She took a big step forward in her resuming run on August 30, quickening smartly in the straight to beat race rivals Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) and Miss Ziggy (NZ) (Brazen Beau). | Karaka 2024, Book 1 | DC Ellis, $400,000 |
| 5 | Intention | 10 | The owners of Intention (NZ) (Bivouac) have already got more than their money's worth from the $65,000 Karaka 2024 purchase, who won last season's $175,000 Group Two Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) and placed in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m). She also finished a creditable fifth in the Group One Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m), lifting her career earnings to $129,350. Intention resumed with a seventh in a strong field of three-year-old fillies at Taupo on August 17. | Karaka 2024, Book 1 | M Breslin/InToWin Syndication, $65,000 |
| 6 | Best Rose | 7 | Te Akau trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson have a third runner in this field with Best Rose (Maurice), who was a three-length winner over 1000 metres at this venue in February. She has also been a three-time placegetter, all of them at this track, including an eye-catching third in her resuming run in Rating 65 grade on August 30. | ||
| 7 | Miss Ziggy | 6 | Trainer Andrew Carston paid $250,000 to secure Miss Ziggy (Brazen Beau) when she was offered by Inglewood Stud in Book 1 of Karaka 2024. She has yet to win a race, but has placed in five of her eight starts and has earned $119,750. She ran an outstanding race for third in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie in January. She resumed with an encouraging third over 1000 metres on August 30 and will have taken plenty of benefit from that run. | Karaka 2024, Book 1 | AJ Carston, $250,000 |
| 8 | Roc 'N' Ready | 3 | Southland's Roc 'N' Ready (NZ) (El Roca) was a $35,000 purchase from Book 2 of Karaka 2024. She has earned $30,450 from five starts so far, headed by a win at this course in October of last year. | Karaka 2024, Book 2 | Robert Dennis Racing, $35,000 |
| 9 | Nameless | 11 | A daughter of The Autumn Sun and closely related to Group One winner and sire Sizzling, Nameless has had three starts so far. They were all over 1000 metres, and she found the line well for fourth in the most recent of them. The step up to 1200 metres this weekend should suit. | ||
| 10 | Eternal Light | 4 | Jon Snow filly Eternal Light (NZ) is a half-sister to the Group Two Sunline Stakes (1600m) and Group Three Matron Stakes (1600m) winner Eternal Flame (NZ) (Sacred Falls). The Bruce Tapper-trained Eternal Light has finished third and fifth in her only two starts to date. | ||
| 11 | Ripa Time | 9 | Owner-trainer Kelvin Tyler paid only $2,500 to buy Ripa Time (NZ) (Time Test) from the 2023 National Weanling Sale. She has finished fifth and fourth in the first two starts of her career. | 2023 National Weanling Sale | KL Tyler, $2,500 |
| 12 | Spark | 12 | An interesting runner in this field is Spark (NZ) (Time Test), who has been sent down from her Hawke's Bay base to make her raceday debut in this Listed feature. She has had two trials, winning the most recent of them in good style at Foxton on August 19. |