Eulogy Bonus puts Polygon (NZ) in NZB Filly of the Year Contention

What a difference a week has made for Polygon (NZ) (Highly Recommended), who sits in third place on the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series points table after winning a race she wasn’t even meant to be running in.

The fourth leg of the series, the $85,000 Group Three LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m), was originally scheduled to be staged at Awapuni on December 10. The race was not on the radar for the Karaka-trained Polygon, but that all changed when the Awapuni meeting was abandoned. The Eulogy was postponed by a week and moved 400km north to Te Rapa, prompting Polygon to run in the race and win it impressively.

The Cambridge Stud homebred had shown good signs over shorter distances leading into the Eulogy, winning at Avondale in October before a strong-finishing second at Matamata, fourth behind subsequent Group Three winner Devastate (NZ) (Vadamos) at Tauranga, and a last-start fifth in the Group Three Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe.

Polygon stepped up to 1600 metres for the first time in the Eulogy and relished that extra distance, powering home from fifth to score an emphatic victory in the hands of jockey Warren Kennedy.

Polygon has now had seven starts for two wins, a second placing and $67,615 in prize-money.

Polygon picked up 6 points from her Eulogy Stakes victory, moving her straight into third place on the table behind Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) and runner-up Best Seller (NZ) (Wrote).

“The Eulogy wasn’t something we really thought about originally, and our plan was to run her in the Eight Carat (Gr.2, 1600m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day,” trainer Lance Noble said.

“But when this race was moved to Te Rapa this weekend, it changed our thinking a little bit. Legarto is going for the Eight Carat, and we thought it might be nice to avoid her if we could!

“We were pleased with the way she had come on since finishing fifth in the Bonecrusher Stakes last time, and we did want to try her over a little more ground. She had a good barrier and Warren made good use of it. I also think the blinkers on for the first time really helped her concentrate.

“Her form has been very solid, and it is great to see her take another step up today. The next task will be to work out where we go next – the Eight Carat on Boxing Day might just come up a bit quick now.

“I am keen to see how she goes over even further, so the right race might be the Royal Stakes (Group Two, 2000m) back at Te Rapa on New Year’s Day.

“If they are going to get a distance like that, then they are likely to do it in their age group. With an economical trip like she got today, I don’t see any reason why she wouldn’t be strong at the end of 2000 metres.”

The minor placegetters in Saturday’s Eulogy Stakes, Allan Sharrock-trained stablemates Librarsi (NZ) (Reliable Man) and Sophmaze (NZ) (Derryn), joined the Filly of the Year Series points table with 3 and 1.5 points respectively.

The fifth and sixth legs of the series now follow in quick succession, with the $150,000 Group Two Jamieson Park Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day and the $140,000 Group Two Elsdon Park Royal Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa less than a week later on New Year’s Day.