Quintessa (NZ) a Class Above in NZB Filly of the Year Opener

Undefeated filly Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award) kicked off the 2023-24 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series in style on Saturday with a scintillating win in the $120,000 Group Three HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.

Racing in the all-conquering tangerine colours of Te Akau Racing, Quintessa has now compiled a perfect three-from-three record and has banked $103,500 in prize-money. She was bought by David Ellis for $170,000 from Wentwood Grange’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2022.

The Gold Trail Stakes was the first of 11 legs of this season’s NZB Filly of the Year Series, and Quintessa has taken an early lead on the table with 6 points. Runner-up Chantilly Lace (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) sits in second with 3 points, while the third-placed Oneira (NZ) (Contributer) earned 1.5 points.

Quintessa brought compelling form credentials into Saturday’s race, having defeated a strong field of fillies in a last-start success at Taupo in August – the same race that produced the first, second and third placegetters in last year’s edition of the Gold Trail.

Ridden patiently by Opie Bosson, Quintessa settled in the back half of the field on Saturday but came to the outside and was poised to pounce rounding the home turn.

She produced a brilliant turn of foot in the straight and charged into contention, outfinishing Chantilly Lace and Oneira to score a narrow but emphatic win.

“She’s a pretty exciting filly,” co-trainer Mark Walker said. “On her pedigree, you wouldn’t think she could be doing things like this at 1200 metres. Her dam is by High Chaparral and won races up to 2700 metres. So I think there’s a lot of upside to her.”

Bosson was also highly impressed with Quintessa’s performance.

“She is a very classy filly who is still learning, so look out when she gets out to a mile,” he said. “Everything ended up going nicely as we got a good track into the race and she did the rest. It was very impressive.”

The second leg of the NZB Filly of the Year Series is the $175,000 Group Two Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), which will be run at Pukekohe on October 28.