Filly of the Year Series Leader Returns to the Fray
18 January 2018
The New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series continues on Saturday with the sixth leg, the $70,000 Group 3 Metroclad-Terracade Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham, and it features the return of table-topper Dijon Bleu (NZ) (Burgundy).
The Lisa Latta-trained filly has led the Series from the start, winning the first leg – Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September. She then finished second in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1550m), lifting her total to 16 points.
Dijon Bleu will maintain her Series lead regardless of Saturday’s result, with 6 points available to the winner and her nearest rival in the field, The Lustre (NZ) (Darci Brahma), sitting on 3.5.
Larima (NZ) (Pour Moi) was a fast-finishing fourth in the Eulogy and Sandrine (NZ) (Savabeel) finished seventh in the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic, while the rest of the Desert Gold field will make their Filly of the Year Series debut.
They include a number of impressive last-start winners such as Swiss Precision (NZ) (Swiss Ace), Milseain (NZ) (Tavistock) and Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park).
In addition to the 6 points on offer to the Desert Gold Stakes winner, there are 3 points for second and 1.5 for third.
The Metroclad-Terracade Desert Gold Stakes will be run as Race 8 at Trentham on Saturday, with a start time of 4.22pm.
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | Dijon Bleu | 3 | Dijon Bleu (NZ) (Burgundy) is the Filly of the Year Series leader with 16 points. She won the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and ran second in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1550m). | Lisa Latta | Leith Innes |
| 2 | The Lustre | 2 | Darci Brahma filly The Lustre (NZ) earned 3.5 points with her third placing in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November. She was unplaced over a shorter distance in her only start since then. | Dennis Bros & Robert Dennis | Jacob Lowry |
| 3 | Sandrine | 11 | After impressive wins in her first two starts, Sandrine (NZ) (Savabeel) joined the Filly of the Year Series with an unlucky seventh in the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m). | Team Rogerson | Trudy Thornton |
| 4 | Swiss Precision | 4 | Swiss Precision (NZ) (Swiss Ace) has come of age in her last two starts, scoring impressive victories at Waipukurau and Hastings. This is her first attempt at black-type level. | John Bary | Sam Weatherley |
| 5 | Larima | 6 | After a stylish maiden win at New Plymouth, Larima (NZ) (Pour Moi) took on the Eulogy Stakes and ran a fast-finishing fourth. | Janelle Millar | Masa Tanaka |
| 6 | Blanco Belle | 14 | Blanco Belle (NZ) (Cape Blanco) has won or placed in all of her three starts, including a second to Dijon Bleu in the Listed O'Learys Fillies' Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui in September. | Susan Rainford | Rosie Myers |
| 7 | Pinup Coup | 13 | Pinup Coup (NZ) (Pins) was unplaced in her first two starts, but has rapidly improved since then with a maiden win at Kurow and a strong third at Trentham last Saturday. | Michael & Matthew Pitman | Chris Johnson |
| 8 | Chill | 12 | Mastercraftsman filly Chill (NZ) finished third on debut at Tauranga, then won her only other start - a 1400-metre maiden at Taupo. | Danica Guy | Michael Coleman |
| 9 | Dark Poppy | 15 | The Daniel Champion and Kezia Murphy-trained Dark Poppy (NZ) (Burgundy) was unplaced in her first three starts, but put everything together nicely with a classy last-start maiden win at Ashburton. | Daniel Champion & Kezia Murphy | Michael McNab |
| 10 | Insight | 4 | Insight (NZ) (Shocking) is rated highly as a New Zealand Oaks prospect and has recorded a win and two placings from her four starts to date. | Stephen Marsh | Danielle Johnson |
| 11 | Milseain | 7 | A full-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Werther (NZ) (Tavistock) and New Zealand Cup winner Gobstopper (NZ) (Tavistock), Milseain (NZ) (Tavistock) has had one start for one easy win. | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Opie Bosson |
| 12 | Miss Foxy Gal | 9 | Foxwedge filly Miss Foxy Gal has recorded top-five finishes in two Listed races and was a convincing last-start winner at Hastings. | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | Jake Bayliss |
| 13 | Rondinella | 5 | Rated by trainer Roger James as potentially his best filly since four-time Group 1 winner Silent Achiever (NZ) (O'Reilly), the well-bred Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park) followed a debut placing with an easy maiden win at Tauranga. | Roger James | Vinnie Colgan |
| 14 | Za Za Gabor | 8 | After finishing fifth and fourth in her first two starts, Za Za Gabor (O'Reilly) lifted her game with a commendable last-start placing at Ellerslie. | Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard | Samantha Collett |
| 15 | Misstumut | 1 | Misstumut (NZ) (Azamour) has had two starts to date, finishing ninth and sixth. | Ben Ropiha |