Fillies Embark on Battle for Crown

The 41st annual New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series is to fire into action on Saturday with the running of the Group 3 $70,000 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.

2012/13 NZB Filly of the Year winner Fix (NZ).

The first leg in the ten-race Series was taken out last year by Pure Elegance (Redoute’s Choice) with the fourth placegetter in last year’s corresponding leg, Fix (Iffraaj), going on to claim the overall title of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.

The coveted New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Series has been won by some New Zealand’s best fillies over the years including the likes of Katie Lee, Daffodil, Bramble Rose, Savannah Success, Tycoon Lil, Snap, Phillipa Rush and La Mer to name a few.

The weekend’s 1200m event will be the first chance for fillies to get points on the board in the sought-after Series, with the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes set to run at 2.21pm on Saturday attracting a small but select field of just seven fillies.

The highest rated horse in the race is Orbity (Magic Albert) on the back of five successive wins, including her last two at black-type level. The Murray Baker/Andrew Forsman trained filly has never finished outside of the first three in her nine career starts. The Karaka graduate is coming off a last start victory over race rival Fantastic Honour in the Listed Fillies Stakes at Wanganui.

Looking to turn the tables on Orbity will be Fantastic Honour (Any Suggestion) after that last second placing at Wanganui. The daughter of Any Suggestion has won two of her five starts and has been placed second in her other three starts, including in the Karaka Million to Ruud Awakening in January.

The connections of last year’s Filly of the Year winner Fix will be looking to retain the title with their impressive filly Boundless (Lonhro), the current fixed odds favourite for Saturday’s encounter. Trained by Ken & Bev Kelso and owned by Gary Harding, the Lohnro filly is another consistent type having won three of her five starts, including the Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes. She was beaten into second twice as a two-year-old, once in the Group 1 Diamond Stakes and the other in the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes.

Resuming from a spell is Whistling Dixie (Pins) for Australian-based owners Segenhoe Thoroughbreds. The Karaka graduate has recorded one win from her four raceday appearances and was a last start second in the Listed Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie in April.

Debut winner Costa Viva (Encosta de Lago) will represent trainer Jason Bridgman following her Ruakaka win at the end of July. The daughter of Encosta de Lago was an impressive two-and-a-quarter-length winner that day and has the services of leading jockey Matthew Cameron.

Another graduate of Karaka is Fascination Street (Elusive City) for Adrian Clarke’s Challenge Racehorse Syndications. Trained by John Sargent and Hayden Allen at Matamata, the one-race winner is another with a consistent form-line, coming off a third placing in the Listed Ryder Stakes in July.

The final horse in the racebook is Neutron Star (Bel Danoro) for trainer Graham Richardson. The Festival Sale graduate is coming off a decisive last start win at Avondale over 1200m in August following a second at her only other start as a two-year-old in April.

The winner of Saturday’s Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders Stakes will be awarded seven points in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, with three points awarded to the second placegetter and one point to third.

To view the full field for the Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders Stakes, click here.

For more information on the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series and to view the race schedule, click here.