King's Rose (NZ) Wins G2 Memsie

Melbourne's leading trainer Peter Moody celebrated a stakes-winning hat-trick on Saturday including in the Group 2 feature at Caulfield with his kiwi import King's Rose (NZ) producing an impressive performance in the $200,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m).

The second leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Weight-for-Age Championship at Caulfield,  the Memsie Stakes attracted a line up which included six Group 1 winners, and saw King's Rose (NZ) (Redoute's Choice x Nureyev's Girl) take her first Australian black-type race for her new stable.

Ridden by jockey Luke Nolen - who in combination with Moody won the Group 3 McNeil Stakes and Listed National Jockey Celebration Day Stakes on the same day - King's Rose, from barrier 11 of 13, sat midfield from the jump and was brought wide on the turn.

With the Mick Price trained favourite Heart of Dreams (Show A Heart) also full of running on the turn, it was left to him and King's Rose to fight out the finish, with the four-year-old mare proving too strong in the concluding stages.

King's Rose wins the Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes

With Moody declaring pre-race that the Memsie Stakes was very much a yardstick for the daughter of Redoute's Choice, her performance has shown that she has to be considered as a leading spring contender.

With nominations for the Cox Plate and the Caulfield Cup, Moody is keen to see King's Rose have another start before deciding on what race he will target, but has indicated that the Cox Plate distance is likely to be her best.

With six horses going on from a victory in the Memsie to win the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, the 1600m event on September 10 is also King's Rose's likely next start. And with three horses - Sunline (NZ), Makybe Diva and So You Think (NZ) - having won the Memsie Stakes/Cox Plate double since 2000, King's Rose looks to have put herself firmly in contention for more spring spoils.

Bred by Hong Kong based Dr Gene Tsoi, a regular patron of the New Zealand sales, King's Rose had a brilliant season in New Zealand last year. Her headline victory came in the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas last November, along with consecutive wins in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes, Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes and Group 2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.

King's Rose was crowned the 2010/11 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year at the New Zealand Horse of the Year Awards on Friday night.

With the Greg Eurell trained Red Colossus (Testa Rossa) taking third place in the Memsie Stakes, the points table for the New Zealand Bloodstock Weight-for-Age Championship is heating up, with Whobegotyou (Street Cry) and King's Rose now tied for the lead on 10 points.

The current standings in the New Zealand Bloodstock Weight-for-Age Championship are as follows:

Horse	Points
Whobegotyou	10
King's Rose	10
Lights of Heaven	8
Heart of Dreams	8
Prince Obama	6
Red Colossus	6
Vesper	4
Rekindled Interest	4
Time Matters	3
Absolutely	3
Precedence	1
Linton	1
Shamrocker	1
Cellarmaster	1
Jungle Ruler	1
Guest Wing	1

Race three of the four-race New Zealand Bloodstock Weight for Age Championship, the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m), will be staged at Caulfield on September 17.