NZB Filly of the Year Series Springs to Life with Gold Trail Stakes

The prestigious NZB Filly of the Year Series is back again for 2024-25, kicking off in style with a superb line-up of fillies contesting Saturday’s $120,000 Group Three HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.

A coveted prize in New Zealand racing for more than 50 years, the Filly of the Year Series is made up of 11 high-class races between September and March. The races all have Group status and are run over distances ranging from 1200 metres all the way up to the 2400 metres of the grand finale, the Group One New Zealand Oaks at Trentham.

The NZB Filly of the Year winner immediately becomes a highly valuable breeding proposition and earns her connections $50,000 in bonus cheques including $10,000 for her breeder, $10,000 for her trainer and $30,000 for her owner.

The NZB Filly of the Year honour roll features some of the biggest names in the last half-century of the New Zealand thoroughbred industry, such as La Mer (NZ) (Copenhagen II), Our Flight (NZ) (Imperial Guard), Solveig (NZ) (Imposing), Snap (NZ) (Kingdom Bay), Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon), Savannah Success (Success Express), Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed), Katie Lee (Pins), King’s Rose (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi) and Legarto (NZ) (Proisir). Last season’s edition was won by Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High).

There could be no more fitting race to open the NZB Filly of the Year Series every season than the Gold Trail at Hastings, which has been won by the likes of La Mer, Staring (NZ) (Fiesta Star), Snap, Taatletail (NZ) (Faltaat), Anabandana (Anabaa), Bounding (Lonhro) and Avantage (Fastnet Rock).

Last year’s running of the Gold Trail was captured by Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award), who went on to Group One success in Trentham’s Levin Classic (1600m) in January. She kicked off her four-year-old season with a Group Three victory in Melbourne in last weekend’s Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

The 2023 Gold Trail Stakes field also featured Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel), who was unplaced that day but soared to stardom in the summer with her triumphs in the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Sydney’s Group One Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).

That leaves a hard act to follow in 2024, but the fillies in Saturday’s Gold Trail Stakes field have the right credentials to take their careers on a similar upward trajectory.

The biggest name in the line-up is Velocious (Written Tycoon), who was a standout two-year-old last season and won the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m).

Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior) and the multiple Group winner Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) both placed at the elite level as juveniles.

Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) has made a name for herself with two wide-margin wins and a Group Two placing from her three starts to date. Her last-start win came in the three-year-old fillies’ race staged at Taupo every August, which has produced the last two Gold Trail Stakes winners, Quintessa and Best Seller (NZ) (Wrote).

Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) has a Karaka Millions 2YO placing to her name from just a two-start career, while Renovations (NZ) (Ardrossan) placed at Listed level in the autumn.

The Group Three status of Saturday’s Gold Trail Stakes means the winner will receive 6 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, with 3 for second and 1.5 for third.

The HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders Gold Trail Stakes will be run as Race 7 at Hastings on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 3.22pm.

#	HORSE	DRAW	COMMENTS	SALE	PURCHASER
1	Velocious	2	Syndicators Go Racing celebrated their second win in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) when star filly Velocious (Written Tycoon) produced a scintillating performance in the Ellerslie feature in January. Go Racing paid $190,000 to secure Velocious from Inglewood Stud's Book 1 draft at Karaka 2023. That purchase has so far reaped more than $920,000 in stakes, with Velocious winning not only the Karaka Millions 2YO but also the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m). The only previous Karaka Millions 2YO winner to win this race was Avantage (Fastnet Rock) in 2018.	Karaka 2023, Book 1	Go Racing, $190,000
2	Archaic Smile	8	Bought for just $55,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2023, Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior) has had seven starts for two wins, two placings and more than $192,000. She won last season's Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m) and finished second in the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and fourth in the Group One Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m). Archaic Smile kicked off her three-year-old season with a second placing in a fillies' sprint at Taupo that has become a very strong guide to this race.	Karaka 2023, Book 1	M Otani, $55,000
3	Captured By Love	5	Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) was perhaps the most consistent two-year-old of her generation last season. Her six-start campaign produced four wins, two placings and more than $335,000. She won the Group Two Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), Group Two Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m) and Group Three 2YO Classic (1200m), and she placed in the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Group One Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m).
4	Alabama Lass	10	Ken and Bev Kelso have unearthed an exciting young talent in the form of Alabama Lass (Alabama Express). She won by nine lengths on debut in early February, then ran second in the Group Two Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m) in her only other two-year-old start. Alabama Lass started her three-year-old season on a perfect note with a brilliant win in three-year-old fillies' company at Taupo. That same race has been won by the last two Gold Trail Stakes winners - Best Seller (NZ) (Wrote) and Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award).
5	Damask Rose	6	Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) was a $200,000 purchase at Karaka 2023 by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis. In a two-year-old season that was restricted to only two starts, Damask Rose was a debut winner before running a huge race for second in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). That two-start career has already banked $180,360 for the Te Akau Coming Up Roses Racing Partnership.	Karaka 2023, Book 1	DC Ellis, $200,000
6	Renovations	1	As well as sharing in the ownership of Saturday's Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) contender Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy), syndicators Social Racing will have Gold Trail Stakes representation through Renovations (NZ) (Ardrossan). The Cody Cole-trained filly was a maiden winner at Te Rapa in April, then stepped up to stakes level with a second placing in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1200m).
7	Pleasing	3	Pleasing (NZ) (Russian Revolution) was an impressive winner despite racing greenly at Awapuni in June, and she followed that up with a gritty last-start second placing on August 9. She was a $75,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2023.	Karaka 2023, Book1	MP Breslin, $75,000
8	Anushka Shesastar	7	By Proisir out of a Savabeel mare who herself was a placegetter on the racetrack at two, Anushka Shesastar (NZ) was bought for $130,000 from the 2023 Ready to Run Sale. She is yet to taste defeat in either a trial or a race, winning a Foxton trial in early July before kicking off her racing career with victory at Woodville on August 11.	2023 Ready to Run Sale	N & P Balia Family Trust, $130,000
9	Ghadah	4	Prominent owner Ben Kwok won this race with Bellacontte (NZ) (Burgundy) in 2021, and he has another chance three years later with homebred filly Ghadah (Exceed and Excel). She finished fourth on debut before producing a strong finish to score a stylish maiden win at Cambridge on August 14.
10	Sister Ping	9	Trelawney Stud-owned filly Sister Ping (NZ) (Street Boss) produced a performance that had to be seen to be believed at Cambridge on July 10, rearing as the gates opened and missing the start by five lengths but storming home to win with ease. Her only start since then was against a strong field at Taupo, where she finished third behind Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) and Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior).	Karaka 2023, Book 1	DC Ellis, $250,000