Eulogy Stakes Kickstarts Busy Period for NZB Filly of the Year Series
19 December 2024
The festive season is set to deliver plenty of NZB Filly of the Year Series action, with three prestigious Group races within the space of 11 days.
It all starts at Trentham on Saturday with the fourth leg of the series, the $100,000 Group Three Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m), which is worth 6 points to the winner, 3 for second and 1.5 for third.
Hard on the heels of the Eulogy is the Christmas-New Year Carnival at Ellerslie, which features the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Boxing Day and the Group Two Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) on New Year’s Day. Both of those races carry 8 points for the winner, 4 for second and 2 for third.
Going into Saturday’s Eulogy, the table is headed by Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) with 21 points, followed by Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) with 15, Kitty Flash (NZ) (Ace High) with 4, Movin’ Out (NZ) (Staphanos) with 3.5, Love Poem (Snitzel) with 2 and Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) with 1.5.
None of those fillies are in the field for Saturday’s Eulogy, so this is a chance for some exciting newcomers to add their names to the leaderboard.
Every filly in the 13-horse field has been a winner, and the likes of Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos), Ocean Miss (NZ) (Ocean Park), Macaluso (NZ) (Savabeel), Connello (NZ) (Time Test) and Skymax (NZ) (Ferrando) have performed with credit in black-type company.
The Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes will be run as Race 5 at Trentham on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 3.28pm.
| # | HORSE | DRAW | COMMENTS | SALE | PURCHASER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connello | 1 | Bought for just $10,000 from the 2022 National Weanling Sale, Connello (NZ) (Time Test) has earned $94,665 from a 12-start career that has produced three wins and two placings. She has also run fifth in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) and sixth in the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) and Listed O'Learys Fillies' Stakes (1340m). She has previously been a winner at Trentham. | 2022 National Weanling Sale | DK Woodhouse, $10,000 |
| 2 | Island Life | 11 | Pencarrow Stud homebred Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos) has shown bright promise in her three-start career to date. She was runner-up on debut in October, then scored an impressive maiden victory at Tauranga on November 2. In her only start since then, she finished second in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki. | ||
| 3 | Librero | 2 | Librero (NZ) (El Roca) is a half-sister to Librarsi (NZ) (Reliable Man), who ran second in this race in 2022. Librero's own five-race career has produced two wins, a second, a third and a fifth. She was a stylish last-start winner over 1400 metres at New Plymouth on December 5. | ||
| 4 | Leica Lucy | 4 | The lightly raced Leica Lucy (NZ) (Derryn) has made a favourable impression in her two-start career, winning in good style on debut at New Plymouth before running second to the highly rated Wingman (NZ) (Swiss Ace) at Trentham on December 7. | ||
| 5 | Transaction | 7 | Ocean Park filly Transaction (NZ) races in the colours of her co-breeders Haunui Farm and has had three starts for an eye-catching fourth at Rotorua, a tough maiden win at Te Aroha and a last-start second at Tauranga. | ||
| 6 | Macaluso | 6 | Well-related filly Macaluso (NZ) (Savabeel) was a $600,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2023. Her four starts as a two-year-old last season produced a third and two fourths, including a fourth on debut against a strong field in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m). She then finished 10th after having a tough run from her wide draw in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). In her only three-year-old start, Macaluso scored a smart win at Trentham on December 7. | Karaka 2023, Book 1 | Forsman Racing/Andrew Williams Bloodstock/Bevan Smith Bloodstock, $600,000 |
| 7 | Ocean Miss | 8 | Te Akau Racing's David Ellis paid $60,000 to buy Ocean Miss (NZ) (Ocean Park) from Book 1 of Karaka 2023. She has had three starts for a win, a third and a fourth, including a gallant last-start third in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki. | Karaka 2023, Book 1 | DC Ellis, $60,000 |
| 8 | Renovations | 13 | Renovations (NZ) (Ardrossan) showed bright promise as a two-year-old with a three-length maiden win at Te Rapa, a second in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1400m) and a sixth in the Group Two Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m). Her three starts this season have produced a fourth in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), a third at Tauranga and a last-start seventh in the Listed O'Learys Fillies' Stakes (1340m). | ||
| 9 | Anushka Shesastar | 9 | Bought for $130,000 from the 2023 Ready to Run Sale, Anushka Shesastar (NZ) (Proisir) has had five starts for a win, a third, a fourth and two fifths. She was a close last-start fifth in the Listed O'Learys Fillies' Stakes (1340m) at Wanganui. | 2023 Ready to Run Sale | N & P Balia Family Trust, $130,000 |
| 10 | Felucca | 3 | Felucca (NZ) (Time Test) was bought for only $5,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2023. After recording a third, two fourths and two fifths in her first five starts, she broke through for a stylish last-start maiden win at Tauherenikau on December 11 and lifted her career earnings to $18,570. | Karaka 2023, Book 2 | P Beamish Bloodstock, $5,000 |
| 11 | Sicillian | 12 | Magna Grecia filly Sicillian (NZ) was bought by the in-form Wexford Stables team for $170,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2023. She was an impressive maiden winner at New Plymouth on November 22, then finished outside the placings in the Group Three Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie in her most recent appearance. | Karaka 2023, Book 1 | Wexford Stables, $170,000 |
| 12 | Vanish | 10 | Vanish (NZ) (Vanbrugh) has had just three starts, beginning with a third at Tauherenikau in January in her only start as a two-year-old. She returned to action with an easy win at Otaki in early November, then ran sixth in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m). | ||
| 13 | Skymax | 5 | Team Rogerson's Skymax (NZ) (Ferrando) won at Rotorua in October, then made a pair of highly creditable appearances in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, finishing sixth in both the Group Two Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie and the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. |