Rollout the Carpet Scores G1 NZB 1000 Guineas

Exciting three-year-old filly Rollout the Carpet has a deserved Group 1 race to her name after producing a tough front-running performance to beat a star field in the $300,000 Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 40th 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

The third leg of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series, the Jeff McVean & Emma-Lee Browne trained Rollout the Carpet (Holy Roman Emperor x Out of Egypt) claimed 12 Series points with her race victory, taking her to 15 points and the lead in the Series after earning 3 points when finishing second in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m).

Rollout the Carpet (inside) wins the Group 1 NZB 1000 Guineas by a nose from Waterford

With all five of the last NZB Filly of the Year Series winners taking the NZB 1000 Guineas, Rollout the Carpet has given her connections a good chance of winning the Series crown.

Rollout the Carpet’s close run victory made amends for last season when she was relegated from first to second in the Group 1 Diamond Stakes. In a great ride from jockey Mark Du Plessis, Rollout the Carpet took the lead after jumping and showed what a tough filly she is, racing stride for stride with rival Waterford (Darci Brahma) for most of the straight to win by a nose in a great finish, running the last 600 metres in 34 seconds.

Trainers Jeff McVean & Emma-Lee Browne had the 1000 Guineas as Rollout the Carpet’s main target and were very impressed with her performance.

“We were confident that she would run well,” commented Emma-Lee Browne. “She did everything right coming into the race and she put in a gutsy performance to win. I thought she had been headed but she really dug deep and showed her fighting qualities, it was a great result.

“We knew that she would probably have to lead so we gave her a trial coming into the race where we sent her straight to the front to give her some practice at racing out in front and she did very well.”

Karaka graduates filled the Group 1 trifecta with Waterford, who raced wide in the early stages before settling behind the speed, putting in a huge effort to only be beaten by a nose, and Fix (Iffraaj) racing just off the pace and finishing well for third. The pair earned 7 and 3.5 Series points respectively, with Waterford now in second place in the NZB Filly of the Year Series.

The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was bred by New Zealand Bloodstock’s International Bloodstock Manager John Cameron and is raced by John and his wife Jackie in partnership with William Fan, Matthew & Elizabeth Oram and Moon Fai Tung.

“We are absolutely delighted with the result,” said John Cameron. “The NZB 1000 Guineas is a highly prestigious race and we are thrilled to have won it. It’s not easy to lead and then hold off a field of top horses at Riccarton but the filly showed tremendous determination and a great will to win and it was a great ride by Mark Du Plessis.

“Full credit goes to her trainers Jeff McVean & Emma-Lee Browne. This race was the filly’s main target and they were determined to get her there at her peak and it was a great training performance.”

Rollout the Carpet was offered by Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2011 Karaka Select Sale and has now won three of her nine starts – with a further four placings – for over $320,000 in stakes.

The filly is the third Group 1 winner for her sire Holy Roman Emperor (Danehill). The sire of 20 stakes winners he is the sire of two 1000 Guineas winners in Rollout the Carpet and Homecoming Queen who won the England 1000 Guineas in May.

To view the current points table and race schedule for New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series, click here. The next race in the Series – the Listed Ezibuy Eulogy Stakes (1600m) – will be held in the Manawatu on December 15.