Southern Fillies set for Battle

The four-leg New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series commences this Saturday with the running of the Listed $50,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton.

Elusive Catch (NZ) is looking for her second stakes win at Riccarton in the Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes.

This is the 14th year that the New Zealand Bloodstock sponsored event will take place, with the four-race Series commencing this weekend and concluding in March 2015 with the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes.

All four legs in the Series are run at Listed level and provide the opportunity for fillies to gain valuable black-type, adding residual value to their pedigrees.

The Canterbury Belle Stakes has enticed a field of 12 horses and is run on the same day as the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes in the North Island, the first leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series.

Stakes winning two-year-old Elusive Catch (NZ) (Elusive City) heads the field for trainer Sabin Kirkland with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen featuring in the ownership. The daughter of Elusive Catch has had four starts, winning two of them and finishing second at the other two. Chris Johnson rides the filly on Saturday starting from barrier 9.

A strong northern presence will be felt with five horses making the trip south for the race including the Leo Molloy trained Consensus (NZ) (Postponed). The winner of half of her four starts has drawn barrier 7 in Saturday’s feature race at Riccarton.

Beating home Consensus last start was the Jason Bridgman trained Darci’s Dream (NZ) (Darci Brahma). A winner as a two-year-old, the daughter of Darci Brahma won her last start at Taupo when beating home Consensus. She has the services of David Walsh on Saturday and will begin from barrier 4.

New Plymouth visitor Second Time Lucky (NZ) (Any Suggestion) is a stakes winner on the course having won the Listed Welcome Stakes last season. Trained by Bryce Revell, Second Time Lucky enters the race having finished runner-up in her last three starts, all at Listed level. The daughter of Any Suggestion has the visitor’s draw of 12, the outside of the field.

The colours of Dick Karreman’s The Oaks Stud will be carried by two horses, the first is Te Awamutu filly Cryptic (NZ) (Sakhee’s Secret). Trained by father and son duo of Keith and Brendan Hawtin, Cryptic was victorious in the Listed Wellesley Stakes, the filly’s only race success so far. Kylie Williams takes the mount aboard the Sakhee’s Secret filly from barrier 2.

Drawn inside of Cryptic in barrier 1 is another filly by Sakhee’s Secret carrying the same colours of The Oaks Stud, Justa Secret (NZ) (Sakhee’s Secret). Travelling from Lisa Latta’s Palmerston North base, Justa Secret was a winner on debut and is a daughter of Group 1 winner Keepa Cruisin’.

La Veuve (NZ) (Iffraaj) has made a promising start to her career with a win and a second placing from her only two starts. Trained by Shane Kennedy & Anna Furlong, the daughter of Iffraaj has drawn barrier 11 in the 12-horse field.

Also with a record of one win and one placing from only two starts is Tempting Place (NZ) (Edenwold) for trainers John & Karen Parsons. She will be looking to turn the tables on La Veuve having finished second to her last start. The daughter of Edenwold has drawn barrier 8.

Finishing fourth behind La Veuve last start was Another Coup (NZ) (Darci Brahma) for trainers Michael & Matthew Pitman. Another Coup will be better for her debut performance in that race having missed the start and racing greenly. The daughter of Darci Brahma will start from barrier 6.

Three more maiden runners round out the field with Supremo (NZ) (Edenwold) from the Daniel Champion & Kezia Murphy stable, Mystify Me (NZ) (Edenwold) trained by Brett Inglis and first starter Letsavafling (NZ) (Savabeel) trained by Lance Robinson looking for their first win.

The winner of the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes will receive seven points in New Zealand Bloodstock's Southern Filly of the Year Series, with second place earning three points and third place earning one point.

To view the full field for the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes, click here.

For more information on the Southern Filly of the Year Series and the race schedule, click here.