Filly Series to Hinge on NZB 1000 Guineas Result?

One of the strongest fields seen in recent years is set to line up in Saturday’s $300,000 Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 40th 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

The third leg of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series, the NZB 1000 Guineas has proven a crucial race to win with the last five Series winners – Planet Rock, King's Rose, Katie Lee, Daffodil and Insouciant – all claiming victory in Saturday’s Group 1 race.

2011 NZB 1000 Guineas winner and Filly of the Year Planet Rock

Much of the discussion has centred on the fillies with the top three ratings, Rollout The Carpet (Holy Roman Emperor), Pure Elegance (Redoute’s Choice) and Fix (Iffraaj).

These three fillies have met before with Pure Elegance beating Rollout The Carpet in the opening leg of the Series – the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes – where Fix was a fast-finishing fourth. Rollout The Carpet and Fix then ran second and third to Sacred Falls in the Listed James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes with Pure Elegance finishing fourth.

These three fillies are very difficult to split and fill three of the top four spots in the early betting market.

But the field is far from limited to just these three. Heading the long list of last start winners coming into the 1000 Guineas is the Sir Patrick Hogan’s pair Lovetessa (O’Reilly) who is the early $4.60 race favourite and Abidewithme (Redoute’s Choice).

Hogan last won the 1000 Guineas in 2009 with Katie Lee (Pins) – who made history when winning the 1000/2000 Guineas double. His filly Oasis Rose went down by the barest of margins to Sacred Falls in last Saturday’s 2000 Guineas and he’ll be hoping one of his two will find redemption this weekend with both being top chances in the race. Abidewithme is unbeaten in only two raceday starts, including the Listed Ray Coupland Stakes at her last appearance, and Lovetessa is showing all the makings of a top filly winning two of her three career starts to date.

Ray's Girl (Savabeel) comes into the race after a solid performance when winning the Listed Canterbury Stakes over the race distance of 1600 metres. She ran second two starts ago in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes to race rival and dual stakes winning filly Misstrum (Stratum) who comes into the Group 1 after an unlucky run in the Group 2 NZB Wellington Guineas.

The Oaks Stud’s filly Outshine (Darci Brahma) was stakes placed on debut behind race rival Emerald Queen and won her last start at Ashburton. She will take a big step up in company in Saturday’s race, as will Lucky Country (Darci Brahma) who has won her last two starts.

Darci Brahma’s third filly in the race is Waterford who has been racing in good company and she ran a brilliant race for third in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes behind Pure Elegance and Rollout The Carpet.

Emerald Queen(O’Reilly) won the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes two starts ago and ran a good third to race rival Abidewithme in the Listed Ray Coupland Stakes at her last start.

Meleka Belle is the second runner for her sire Iffraaj and has run two seconds coming into the race. A daughter of the Group 1 winner The Jewel, The Diamond One (Tale of the Cat) has never run out of the placings in her four starts and is a race winner, as is Pamina (Keeper) who has won two of her seven starts, her last at Wingatui two starts ago.

Also taking their place in the Group 1 NZB 1000 Guineas is the Savabeel filly Soriano who ran a late finishing fourth in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas; plus A Touch Of Ruby (Pins), Perfect Start (Perfectly Ready), Hazel (Handsome Ransom), and ballots Kalevala (Falkirk) and Berenice (Holy Roman Emperor).

The winner of the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 40th 1000 Guineas will earn 12 points in NZB’s Filly of the Year Series, with second earning 7 points and third 3 points. The race will be held at Riccarton at 3.16 NZ time on Saturday. Click here for the up-to-date Filly of the Year Series points table.