Serious Satire Stakes her Claim in Filly Series
5 October 2015
Precocious three-year-old filly Serious Satire (More Than Ready) made a bold run for home on Saturday to claim victory in the $70,000 Group 3 Windsor Park/Hawke’s Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.
 |
Serious Satire (NZ) wins the Group 3 Windsor Park/Hawke's Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes. |
Saturday’s victory has given Serious Satire an early lead in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, earning six points.
Winner of her last two starts, the Stephen Marsh trained filly was runner-up in her juvenile debut before returning as a three-year-old to win fresh up over 1200m in an undercard race on the first day of the Hawke’s Bay Carnival.
“I’ve thought an awful lot of her all the way through,” Marsh said. “She’s not a 1200 metre horse and she can only get better over more ground and a big track will be ideal for her.
“She’ll either go to Te Rapa next for the Sarten Memorial or the Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie before she goes down to Christchurch.”
Regular rider Danielle Johnson settled the race-favourite midfield amongst the strung out field of 15 fillies. Racing one off the fence as the turn for home approached, Serious Satire powered down the outside to challenge in the final strides and swept to victory by half-a-length over Serena Miss (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Strata Lady (NZ) (Stratum) who finished in second and third place respectively.
Raced by her breeder David Paykel, Saturday’s Group 3 victory earned her $43,750 in stakes, boosting her total prizemoney to $57,650.
The daughter of More Than Ready is out of stakes-winning Zabeel mare Zarzuela who was the winner of the Group 2 Great Northern Guineas and the Group 2 Championship Stakes, she was also placed in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks. Zarzuela is a half-sister to stakes-winner Satin Shoes (Flying Spur), winner of the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes.
Serious Satire heads New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series leaderboard on 6 points, Serena Miss earned 3 points for her runner-up placing and Strada Lady claimed 1.5 points for finishing third.
The Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes was the first leg in a 10-race Series which now moves to the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on 14 November where the fillies will step up in distance to race over 1600m.
To view the current leaderboard for New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series, click here.