Daffodil and Alagant Satin to Battle for Lead

With just one point between them in New Zealand Bloodstock's Filly of the Year Series, Daffodil and Alagant Satin are set to do battle in the Group 3 First Sovereign Trust Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday.

This year the field is headed by Group 1 NZB One Thousand Guineas winner Daffodil (No Excuse Needed x Spring by O'Reilly) with Hayden Tinsley in the saddle. The Kevin Gray-trained filly comes off the back of a game win at New Plymouth recently.

Sitting on 15 points, Daffodil has drawn barrier seven, just inside the Murray and Bjorn Baker-trained Alagant Satin (Al Akbar x Glowing Satin by Noble Bijou) who sits on 14 points and jumps from gate eight.

Also with points on the board is the multiple group placed and Listed Soliloquy Lodge Stakes winner Awesome Planet (Giant's Causeway x Dance On The Moon by Fasliyev). With a total of nine points the Graeme Rogerson, Scott Lucock & Roydon Bergerson trained filly will be ridden by Darryl Bradley.

Can't Keeper Down (Keeper x Ashley Downs by Grosvenor) finished second two starts ago to Alagant Satin in the Group 3 Ezibuy Eulogy Stakes, before running third in a rating 80 event for trainer Lisa Latta, with Jonathan Riddell set to do the steering, as he did in the Eulogy.

Miss Millbrook (No Excuse Needed x Arche by Danasinga) is the South Island raider in the field and was second in her last start in the Listed Southland Guineas after a gutsy win in the Dunedin Guineas for trainer Terry Kennedy. Jason Laking retains the ride.

Also making the trip north is the Brian and Shane Anderton-trained Inferno (Yamanin Vital x Emerald Fire by Honor Grades). She ran on well in the Southland Guineas to finish fifth and was third in the start before, finishing just 0.3 lengths short of Miss Millbrook.

Meanwhile taking the comparatively short trip South from the Otaki stable of Howie & Lorraine Mathews is Dutch Striker (Van Nistelrooy x There's No Doubt by Pompeii Court). She is an impressive last start winner in a Rating 80 at Otaki, a start after running fourth in the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes to Glamorous Girl. Buddy Lammas will ride the filly that has shown she can handle a track worse than dead.

Kelly Myers will ride Mark Oulaghan's Cassini (Reset x Mathematical by Honor Grades ) who finished a close third in the Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes, before runningfifth equal in the Group 2 Cambridge Stud Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.

Showing ability after winning two of her three starts, Oakmont (Fusaichi Pegasus x Marrouge by Marscay), who is owned by Patinack Farm, will be primed to take the big step up in class for Roger James & Paul Mirabelli under Andrew Calder.

Pure Strike (Volksraad - Pure Intrigue, by Straight Strike) is another from the Roger James & Paul Mirabelli stable, a race winner, she will be looking to improve to make the step up to this grade along with fellow winning competitors, Bryce Revell's Ekstreme (Ekraar - Cashcade, by Anziyan), David Howarth's Bird (Danasinga - Quiescent, by Gleam Machine), Karen Fursdon and Gemma Sliz's Our Zara (Yamanin Vital - Noble Light, by Noble Bijou), and the Howie and Lorraine Mathews trained The Speaker (Volksraad - Soundasabeel, by Zabeel).

Last year's winner of the Series' penultimate race was taken out by the strapping Kaatoon (Kaapstad x Toonsie by Affirmed) while Boundless (Van Nistelrooy x Nothing Less by Star Way) emerged the victor of the final race in the Series, the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks. Their efforts weren't enough though to overcome the lead set by the Group 1 NZB One Thousand Guineas and Group 3 Ezibuy Eulogy Stakes winner Insouciant (Keeper x Loudenne by Palace Music).

This year's race will jump at 3.45pm,

For the full NZB Filly of the Year Series points table click here.