NZB Filly of the Year Series Newcomer Impresses in Eulogy

War Princess (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) made a big entrance into the NZB Filly of the Year Series with an all-the-way win in the $100,000 Group Three LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.

Victory in the Eulogy Stakes earned 6 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series for War Princess, who slots straight into fourth on the table behind Well Written (Written Tycoon) with 20, Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) with 16 and Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma) with 8.

A half-sister to the $1m Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) placegetter Appellant (NZ) (Showcasing), War Princess was a $77,500 purchase at Karaka 2024 by Exempt Bloodstock and Peter Didham Racing. She was offered by Haunui Farm in Book 2 on behalf of breeders Don and Dame Wendy Pye, who are also the breeders and part-owners of Lollapalooza. That filly has featured prominently in the early stages of the NZB Filly of the Year Series with a victory in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and placings in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Group Three Sunline Vase (1400m).

War Princess is trained by Peter and Trent Didham at Awapuni and showed early promise as a two-year-old last season with wins in her first two starts in February and March. She was then unplaced in the Group One Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

After resuming with a seventh in unsuitable Heavy10 ground in the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1200m) in August, War Princess recorded another two smart victories at Hawera and Tauranga. She stepped back up in class and collected her first black type with a strong-finishing second in the Listed O’Learys Fillies’ Stakes (1340m) at Wanganui on November 29.

On Saturday War Princess went one better as the $2.50 favourite in the Eulogy Stakes. She was sent straight to the lead by jockey Sam Collett and controlled the race from there.

Second favourite Origin Of Love (Snitzel) cruised up in her slipstream and loomed on her outside as a threat, but War Princess lifted again and pulled away to win by a length and a quarter. Origin Of Love filled the runner-up spot, three and a half lengths ahead of Capaci (NZ) (Tivaci).

“In my own words it wasn’t probably the greatest ride in the world last time, we may have overthought it a little bit,” Collett said. “Dids (Peter Didham) just said to me ‘you know her’ and he left me to it today, and when she hopped away so well, horses like that make our job so easy. She puts herself there, puts herself to sleep and is an all-round competitor.

“When she got challenged, I wasn’t too sure how much horse I had left. But true to her form, once I asked her the tough question, she just put them away again. She is really tough and her form hasn’t faltered at all this term, so she’s a credit to Dids and his team.”

The father-son Didham stable is now keen to point War Princess towards the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 24 and/or the $4m NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie on March 7.

“We thought she was a little bit unlucky last start when we tried to sit her in behind a couple and get her to relax a little,” Peter Didham said. “Sam knew what she was doing today, took her to the front and she ran away from them. I thought she was going along at a good clip and she was going to get the mile, so it was a good ride.

“This will open a lot of doors, whether it’s the slot race or the Karaka Millions, so it’s exciting.”

Saturday’s placegetters have also added themselves to the NZB Filly of the Year Series leaderboard, with Origin Of Love slotting into equal seventh with 3 points and Capaci now equal ninth with 1.5 points.

The NZB Filly of the Year Series comes thick and fast at this time of the year, with the next leg just days away. The sixth race of the series is the $270,000 Group Two Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

Vendor	Haunui Farm
Purchaser	Exempt Bloodstock/Peter Didham Racing (Auckland)
Breeding	U S Navy Flag – Royal Appellant
Sale	Lot 925, Karaka 2024 Book 2, $77,500
Breeder	Don Pye & Dame Wendy Pye
Owner	Chelsea Connections Ltd, Brendon & Debbie Hart & Exempt Bloodstock Ltd