Southern Filly Series Resumes with Capacity Field for NZB Airfreight Stakes
3 March 2022
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March marks the beginning of autumn, and with it comes the business end of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Southern Filly of the Year Series. Over the next seven weeks, three exciting races will decide this season’s winner of the prestigious southern title.
The first leg of the series was the $60,000 Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton in September. Art De Triomphe (NZ) (Vadamos) earned 7 points for her stylish victory that day, with placegetters Sorrento (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Irish Red (NZ) (Burgundy) collecting 4 and 2 points respectively.
The same points structure will be up for grabs in each of the remaining three legs, starting with Saturday’s $60,000 Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui.
The race has drawn a capacity field of 14 plus two emergencies, with Sorrento and Irish Red both returning in search of additional points, while the rest will be out to make their first appearance on the Southern Filly table.
Shameless Tart (NZ) (Shamexpress) and No Bouquet (NZ) (Telperion) have recently picked up Listed placings in the Dunedin Guineas (1500m) and Southland Guineas (1600m) respectively, and the promising Reputabelle (NZ) (Pins) has scored smart wins in both of her last two starts in lower grades and is sure to be one of the favourites.
The NZB Airfreight Stakes will be run as Race 7 at Wingatui on Saturday, with a start time of 4.48pm.
The New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series is an important part of the southern racing calendar, designed to assist with the long-term growth and success of the New Zealand breeding industry by providing opportunities for good fillies to earn valuable black type. The Southern Filly of the Year winner will also receive an insurance policy from NZB Insurance to the value of $50,000 + GST.
| # | HORSE | DRAW | COMMENTS | SALE | PURCHASER | TRAINER | JOCKEY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reputabelle | 5 | Unplaced in her first three starts between September and January, talented filly Reputabelle (NZ) (Pins) has turned things around in style since the penny dropped. The Waikato Stud-bred filly has put together impressive back-to-back wins in her last two starts, both at Riccarton, on January 20 and February 12. This is her first appearance at stakes level. | Michael & Matthew Pitman | Tina Comignaghi | ||
| 2 | Irish Red | 8 | Representing New Zealand's leading stable of Te Akau Racing and Jamie Richards, Irish Red (NZ) (Burgundy) has picked up a win and six placings from her 10-start career to date. She earned 2 points in the NZB Southern Filly Series with her third placing in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) in September, and subsequent performances include a third in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and a solid seventh in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). | Jamie Richards | Jason Laking | ||
| 3 | Shameless Tart | 2 | Shameless Tart (NZ) (Shamexpress) has already exceeded her $15,000 purchase price at Karaka with $23,692 in stakes from eight starts to date. She has had a win and three placings, headed by a strong-finishing second in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) in her most recent appearance on February 5. | Karaka 2020, Book 2 | AJ Carston, $15,000 | Andrew Carston | Terry Moseley |
| 4 | Burgie | 7 | Briane and Lorraine Anderton's homebred filly Burgie (NZ) (Ghibellines) has had just three starts, beginning with an emphatic victory on debut in late December. She then finished second at this course on January 15, followed by a ninth on unsuitable wet ground in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m). | Brian & Shane Anderton | Corey Campbell | ||
| 5 | Sorrento | 14 | A debut winner as a two-year-old last season, Sorrento (NZ) (Iffraaj) also made an early impact at three with her second placing in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) in September - earning second place on the NZB Southern Filly table with 4 points. Her performances since then include a fourth in the Group Three War Decree Stakes (1600m), eighth in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), and a last-start seventh behind race rival Reputabelle (NZ) (Pins). | John & Karen Parsons | Krishna Mudhoo | ||
| 6 | Just Maybe | 12 | Just Maybe (NZ) (Tivaci) is a notable rarity in the NZB Southern Filly Series, being trained and ridden by the same person - Kylie Williams. Just Maybe was bought for $87,500 at Karaka 2020 and was a bold winner at Ashburton in December. She warmed up for this race with a trial win on February 17. | Karaka 2020, Book 2 | Richardson Racing, $87,500 | Kylie Williams | Kylie Williams |
| 7 | Roca Fundeeda | 11 | Roca Fundeeda (NZ) (Road To Rock) was a maiden winner at Timaru in early October, beating the subsequent Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) placegetter Shepherd's Delight (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle). Roca Fundeeda may have picked up only one second placing from five starts since then, but she also ran a close sixth in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m). | Andrew Carston | Wiremu Pinn | ||
| 8 | Roussanne | 10 | Bred and part-owned by Greg McCarthy, Roussanne (NZ) (Belardo) has had 10 starts for a maiden win at Kurow and two placings. She was unplaced behind stablemate and race rival Reputabelle (NZ) (Pins) in her most recent appearance, but appeared to be unsuited to the heavy track conditions. | Michael & Matthew Pitman | Dylan Turner | ||
| 9 | Venturesome | 13 | Ocean Park filly Venturesome (NZ) finished second on debut in June behind the subsequent multiple black-type winner Palmetto (NZ) (Ghibellines). She cleared maiden grade nicely in her next start, then endured a series of unlucky and tough runs before turning things around with a last-start third placing. | Sandy Cunningham | Lee Callaway | ||
| 10 | No Bouquet | 6 | Although she has yet to win in five career starts, No Bouquet (NZ) (Telperion) has shown bright promise with three placings. Her most recent run was her best yet, fighting on gamely for a close third in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) on February 19. | Jo-Ann Gordon | Rohan Mudhoo | ||
| 11 | Show Me Champagne | 1 | The third runner in this field for Michael and Matthew Pitman, Show Me Champagne (NZ) (Showcasing) produced a powerful late sprint to win on the Cambridge synthetic track in October before relocating to the South Island. She has yet to race for her new stable, but scored a two-length trial win at Ashburton on February 17. | Michael & Matthew Pitman | Kavish Chowdhoory | ||
| 12 | Zacat | 9 | Trained by Neil Coulbeck at Leithfield, Zacat (NZ) (Zacinto) heads into Saturday's race with a win and two placings to her name from nine career starts. She was a maiden winner at Timaru in late December, scoring by two and a quarter lengths on rain-affected ground. | Neil Coulbeck | Chris Johnson | ||
| 13 | Miss Otis Regrets | 16 | Miss Otis Regrets (NZ) (Rageese) is a maiden but has placed in two of her four career starts to date. Those placings came in her two most recent appearances, finishing third at this track on January 15 before a last-start second at Riccarton on February 12. | Stephen Marsh | Jacob Lowry | ||
| 14 | Duck Duck Goose | 3 | Riverton raider Duck Duck Goose (NZ) (Rageese) has shown potential in her three-start career, following a ninth on debut with a second placing at Gore on January 22 and a fourth at Ascot Park two weeks later. | Kelvin & Aimee Tyler | Brandon May | ||
| 15 | Pickens | 15 | Pickens (NZ) (Belardo) heads into this race on the back of a close last-start second over this course and distance on February 5. She pounced in the straight and looked the winner, only to be caught late and finish second by a neck. | Terry Kennedy | |||
| 16 | Darci's Belle | 4 | Darci's Belle (NZ) (Darci Brahma) has had one start for a placing, finishing third at Ascot Park on February 19 despite hanging badly all the way down the home straight. | Terry Kennedy |