Polygon (NZ) Romps in Royal Stakes

Cambridge Stud’s homebred filly Polygon (NZ) (Highly Recommended) has surged into second on the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series points table with a dominant performance in Sunday’s sixth leg, the $140,000 Group Two Elsdon Park Royal Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.

Polygon went into Sunday’s race sitting in third place on the table, having earned her first 6 points with a smooth last-start victory in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m). But the step up to a middle-distance took her to a new level on New Year’s Day, and she earned another 8 points to move to 14 – a dozen behind the table-topping Legarto (NZ) (Proisir).

Polygon’s connections had some doubts about her abilities to stretch out to 2000 metres in Sunday’s Royal Stakes, but she did a spectacular job of passing that first test of her stamina.

After dropping out to near-last, Polygon and rider Michael McNab unleashed a dazzling run down the straight, sweeping past a dozen rivals and going clear to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

Trained by Lance Noble, Polygon has now had eight starts for three wins, a placing and $148,115 in stakes.

“I’ve got the shakes,” said Jo Lindsay, who bred and owns the filly in partnership with her husband Brendan. “That was so exciting. We didn’t have the highest expectations, and especially when she dropped all the way back to second-last, but she did so well.

“She just came from nowhere, and her turn of foot was amazing. Lance and his team have done a fantastic job with this filly. Her breeding doesn’t say she should stay 2000 metres, but she just stormed home today.”

Noble suggested that Polygon will now continue along the NZB Filly of the Year Series path, potentially culminating in a tilt at the Group One Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 18.

“She’s not nominated for the Oaks at that stage, but I think we’ll have to put in a late nomination now,” Noble said. “She seems to really like it here at Te Rapa, so maybe one of the Filly of the Year races here might be a nice lead-up into the Oaks.

“Michael and I had a couple of plans before the race, but they both went out the window within the first 20 metres or so of the race. Michael said he ended up getting to about Plan Z. But that’s why you put these top riders on – they don’t panic and get the job done. When the gaps came, she was quite explosive.”

Sunday’s Royal Stakes placegetters were Sedaka (NZ) (Savabeel) and Safura (NZ) (Almanzor), who made their first appearance on the NZB Filly of the Year Series points table with 4 points and 2 points respectively.

The next leg of the NZB Filly of the Year Series will be on January 28 at Trentham, with the running of the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).