Southern Filly of the Year Series Continues With NZB Airfreight Stakes
6 April 2017
New Zealand Bloodstock’s Southern Filly of the Year Series will heat up on Saturday with the running of the third leg, the $50,000 Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Airfreight Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton.
The current Series leader with 8 points is Starvoia (Starcraft), who ran second to La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think) in the Canterbury Belle Stakes and second to Residential (NZ) (Pins) in the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes. But Starvoia is not lining up in Saturday’s race, which throws the Series wide open.
In the prime spot to stake her claim is Starvoia’s stablemate Residential, who won the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes and has earned 7 points to sit in equal second spot. The John and Karen Parsons-trained filly has won her last three races in a row, all at stakes level – the Dunedin Guineas, Southland Guineas and New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes.
Dontpokethetiger (Beneteau) ran third in the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes, picking up 2 points. She too can take the Series lead if she wins on Saturday and Residential is unplaced.
The remainder of Saturday’s field are yet to get on the points table, but with 7 points available to the winner, they have the opportunity to quickly attain a prominent position. The second placegetter will earn 4 points and the third placegetter will earn 2 points.
In an effort to maximise the chances of the Series determining an outright winner, changes were made to the format of the Series for the 2016/17 season.
The adjusted points structure and the final leg of the Series, the NZB Warstep Stakes, will act as a 'decider'. In the event of two fillies having equal points following the running of the final leg, the filly with the best finishing position in the NZB Warstep Stakes will be determined the winner of the Series.
The New Zealand Bloodstock Airfreight Stakes will run as race 7 at Riccarton on Saturday with a start time of 3:37pm.
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | Residential | 8 | Pins filly Residential (NZ) has strung together three impressive black-type wins in her last three starts, capturing the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) by a nose, the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) by four lengths and the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) by half a length. She has won five of her 11 starts overall, two of them at Riccarton. | John & Karen Parsons | Gosen Jogoo |
| 2 | Dontpokethetiger | 2 | Although she has only won two of her 16 starts, Dontpokethetiger (Beneteau) has been stakes-placed in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), the Group 3 South Island Breeders' Stakes (1600m), Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m), the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) and the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m). | Peter Rudkin | Leah Hemi |
| 3 | Showemup | 1 | Showcasing filly Showemup (NZ) is a last-start winner and has proven herself at stakes level, running second in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and third in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m). | Sally McKay | Kevin Kalychurun |
| 4 | Welcome | 4 | Stablemate to the likely favourite Residential, Darci Brahma filly Welcome (NZ) is making her first start at stakes level. She has won twice in her five career starts, with the wins coming in her two most recent appearances - by two and a quarter lengths at Riccarton, and by two lengths at Wingatui. | John & Karen Parsons | |
| 5 | Nikita | 7 | North Island visitor Nikita (NZ) (Shamoline Warrior) won a maiden race by two and a quarter lengths at Avondale in February. As a two-year-old she finished seventh in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1200m). | Shaune Ritchie | |
| 6 | Shirley Maude | 10 | Improving filly Shirley Maude (NZ) (Fully Fledged) comes into the race off the back of a last-start maiden win at Gore. She had previously run fifth in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m). | Lisa Vaughan | |
| 7 | Grand Soleil | 3 | Another northern visitor, Grand Soleil (NZ) (Savabeel) is still a maiden but has raced in strong company in the North Island. She finished third in the Group 2 Royal Stakes (2000m), fifth in the Group 2 Sir Tristram Fillies' Classic (2000m) and seventh in the Group 3 Lowland Stakes (2100m). | Tony Pike | Samantha Wynne |
| 8 | Per Form | 5 | Nadeem filly Per Form (NZ) brings admirably consistent form into the race, having finished second or third in all of her four career appearances. | Paul Gray | Kylie Williams |
| 9 | Red River Rock | 9 | Similar to the above, Red River Rock (NZ) (Red Giant) has recorded placings in both of her starts to date. | Andrew Carston | Terry Moseley |
| 10 | Hannah Marene | 6 | By stallion sensation Tavistock, Hannah Marene (NZ) has had three starts to date for a third, a fourth and a fifth. | Andrew Carston | Chris Johnson |