Elegance Prevails in Filly Series Debut

The regally bred filly Pure Elegance (NZ) lived up to the lofty expectations she created at her only two-year-old start, with a determined win in the $70,000 Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.

The first event in New Zealand Bloodstock’s 10-race Filly of the Year Series, Pure Elegance (Redoute’s Choice x Our Echezeaux) has taken first blood for trainers Steven Ramsay & Julia Ritchie beating an exceptional field of fillies to earn 6 points and the early Series lead.

In a highly anticipated battle between some of New Zealand’s most promising three-year-old fillies, it came down to a two-horse war between Pure Elegance and Champion 2YO nominee Rollout the Carpet. Coming from right on the speed, the pair were stride for stride for much of the straight before Pure Elegance out-muscled her rival to win by a short neck.

“She is very smart,” said Steven Ramsay. “That was an exceptional field of fillies and to do what she did, running down Rollout the Carpet who is a top filly, at just her second start is very exciting.

“She will take a tonne of improvement from the run and we will aim her at the Listed James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes before taking her to the NZB 1000 Guineas.

“Everyone that has ridden her has been saying she will be even better when she gets a longer trip. What she did on Saturday over 1200 metres was just on class, she will be a lovely miler and her breeding suggests that the Oaks could be a possibility as well.”

Second placed Rollout the Carpet (Holy Roman Emperor x Out Of Egypt) could not have been more impressive fresh up for trainers Jeff McVean & Emma-Lee Browne. Coming into the race with no trials due to wet tracks, she will take an enormous amount of improvement from the race and looks set for another big season. Her second placing earned her 3 points in the Filly of the Year Series.

Waterford (Darci Brahma x Crystal Hailey) put in a game run for third place, earning 1.5 Series points. Trained by Tony Pike & Mark Donoghue, she finished only a length from the winner and was one of the few fillies to come from further back in the field after being trapped wide early in the race.

The Group 3 has seen the blue-blooded filly Pure Elegance remain unbeaten from her two starts and become the 91st stakes winner for her champion sire Redoute’s Choice. She is also the 98th stakes winner for her damsire Zabeel, and the 7th stakes winner for the potent Redoute’s Choice/Zabeel cross which has a stakes winners to runners ratio of 13%.

Pure Elegance’s breeders Peter and Philip Vela of Pencarrow Stud have won the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series four times before with Insouciant (2008), Vapour Trail (2002), Sarwatch (2000) and Noble Heights (1982).

The second leg of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series, the $50,000 Listed Soliloquy Lodge Stakes (1400m), will be held at Ellerslie this weekend, Saturday 29 September.

To view the 2012/13 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year race schedule and current points table, click here.