Stable Showdown in in NZB Filly of the Year Finale

Another exciting New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series culminates in Saturday’s 11th and final leg, the $400,000 Group One Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham. And, after winning seven of the 10 legs so far, top trainer Jamie Richards heads into the race with the only three possible winners of the prestigious title. 

Richards, who also won the NZB Filly of the Year title last season with Amarelinha (NZ) (Savabeel), has star performers Self Obsession (NZ) (Shocking), Belle En Rouge (NZ) (Burgundy) and The Perfect Pink (NZ) (Savabeel) in the field for Saturday’s Oaks.

Those three fillies hold the top three positions on the NZB Filly of the Year Series table with 24, 19 and 12 points respectively, and with 12 points available to the winner of the Oaks, they now have the title race all to themselves.

Self Obsession has been unbeaten and dominant since December, winning four races in succession including the Group Two Royal Stakes (2000m), Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) and Group Two Lowland Stakes (2100m). Belle En Rouge won the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m) earlier in the season, while The Perfect Pink captured the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November.

However, while they are the only three possible NZB Filly of the Year Series champions in the Oaks field this year, the chances of classic glory at Trentham on Saturday afternoon are not limited to that high-class trio.

Achieve (NZ) (Pierro) has earned 6.5 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series to date, producing quality performances to place in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m), Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) and Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m).

Bellatrix Black (NZ) (Redwood) has been a rapid improver in recent weeks, following up a maiden victory with a superb last-start win in the Group Three Sunline Vase at Ellerslie. She has 6 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series.

Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh) also has 6 points to her name, courtesy of placings in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and the Sunline Vase along with a season-long sequence of top-six finishes.

Glory Bound (NZ) (Tavistock) and Flash Mary (NZ) (El Roca) are recent placegetters in the David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic and Lowland Stakes respectively, lifting their totals to 4 and 2 points.

Saturday’s Trentham showpiece will decide the 50th winner of the coveted Filly of the Year title, which earns connections $50,000 in bonus cheques including $10,000 for the winner’s breeder, $10,000 for the trainer and $30,000 for the owner. The winner also becomes a highly valuable breeding proposition.

In the event of two fillies having equal points following the running of the final leg, both fillies will share the title.

The Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks will be run as Race 8 at Trentham on Saturday, with a start time of 4.50pm.

2022 Group One New Zealand Oaks Field

#	HORSE	DRAW	COMMENTS	SALE	PURCHASER	TRAINER	JOCKEY
1	Self Obsession	8	Self Obsession (NZ) (Shocking) has been the benchmark filly in New Zealand over the last three months, and she is undefeated in three appearances in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series. She debuted with a third placing at Tauranga in late November, then returned to the same track to clear maiden grade two weeks later. Since then she has been a black-type winning machine, stringing together powerful victories in the Group Two Royal Stakes (2000m), Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic (2000m) and Group Two Lowland Stakes (2100m). She heads the NZB Filly of the Year Series table with 24 points.			Jamie Richards	Michael McNab
2	The Perfect Pink	11	The only Group One winner in this field, The Perfect Pink (NZ) (Savabeel) announced her arrival as one of the stars of her generation with a flying finish to take out the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November. That outstanding win earned her 12 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, which sees her currently sitting in third place on the table. Since that career-defining triumph, The Perfect Pink has finished second at Ellerslie behind top-class rival La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos), then second against the boys in the Group Two Waikato Guineas (2000m). She was a last-start sixth in the Group Two Avondale Guineas (2100m).			Jamie Richards	Kozzi Asano
3	Belle En Rouge	3	A model of consistency through the spring, Belle En Rouge (NZ) (Burgundy) finished third in the Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), third in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), first in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and first in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m). Her two appearances since then have been sixth placings, with excuses on both occasions, in the Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic (2000m) and the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m). Her 19 points place her second on the NZB Filly of the Year Series table.			Jamie Richards	Jason Laking
4	Bellatrix Black	13	Bellatrix Black (NZ) (Redwood) has been a late arrival in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, but she has wasted no time in making an impact. Her career began with a fourth at Pukekohe in late December, followed by second placings at Te Aroha and Matamata. She won a maiden race at Tauranga on February 16, then stepped up to the big time with a huge late run to win the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie. She has 6 NZB Filly of the Year Series points.			Catherine Cameron	Taiki Yanagida
5	Glory Bound	7	Bred and raced by Valachi Downs principal Kevin Hickman, Glory Bound (NZ) (Tavistock) has yet to run a bad race in her seven-start career. She has picked up a win and two placings, headed by a runner-up finish in last month's Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic (2000m). Her other appearances at stakes level have produced a last-start fourth in the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m) and a fifth in the Group Three Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) back in the spring. She has earned 4 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series.			Stephen Autridge & Kris Shailer	Craig Grylls
6	Achieve	6	Bought for $375,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2020, blue-blooded filly Achieve (NZ) (Pierro) comes from the family of Group One winners The Jewel (NZ) (O'Reilly), La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think), The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel) and Oaks rival The Perfect Pink (NZ) (Savabeel). Achieve has lived up to those bloodlines with a win and three stakes placings from six starts, finishing second in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m), third in the Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic (2000m) and third in the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m). She has 6.5 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series.	Karaka 2020, Book 1	RA James/R Wellwood, $375,000	Roger James & Robert Wellwood	Ryan Elliot
7	Mustang Valley	4	Vanbrugh filly Mustang Valley (NZ) has been the battle-hardened warrior of this season's NZB Filly of the Year Series, lining up in seven of the 10 legs so far. She ran second in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), fifth in the Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), fifth in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), sixth in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m), fifth in the Group Two Royal Stakes (2000m), fourth in the Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic (2000m) and second in the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m).			Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Johnathan Parkes
8	Flash Mary	5	Flash Mary (NZ) (El Roca) was bought for just $9,250 at the 2020 South Island Sale. She has already earned $63,625 in stakes, along with three valuable placings at black-type level. Third in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old, she has added a second in this season's Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial (1500m) and a third in the Group Two Lowland Stakes (2100m) earlier this month. Her trainer, Debbie Sweeney, won this race in 2016 with Fanatic (NZ) (Shocking).	2020 South Island Sale	Bee Cee, $9,250	Debbie Sweeney	Matthew Cameron
9	Le Villi	10	Bought by Phill Cataldo for $10,000 at the 2019 May Sale, Le Villi (NZ) (Puccini) has emerging as a bright prospect and now races in the colours of Australian Bloodstock. Third on debut at New Plymouth in late December, she won two in a row before flashing home from last to run fifth in the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m).	2019 May Sale	Phill Cataldo Bloodstock, $10,000	John Wheeler	Lisa Allpress
10	Rue Cler	9	Trainer Bryce Newman secured Rue Cler (NZ) (Proisir) for $15,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2020, and the filly has so far recorded two wins and two placings from seven starts. She has been far from disgraced in a couple of appearances in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, including a fifth - just 2.2 lengths from the winner - in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m).	Karaka 2020, Book 2	BE & MJ Newman, $15,000	Bryce Newman	Dylan Turner
11	Aspen Colorado	2	She may have finished outside the placings in her first three starts, but Aspen Colorado (NZ) (Proisir) has been a different filly since stepping up beyond 2000 metres. She charged to a 2100-metre maiden victory at Te Rapa on February 2, then produced a strong finish for fourth in the Group Two Lowland Stakes (2100m).			Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall	Ashvin Goindasamy
12	Apache Anne	12	Apache Anne (NZ) (Tavistock) is trained by Lisa Latta for prominent syndicators Go Racing. The same owner-trainer combination triumphed with Sentimental Miss (NZ) (Reliable Man) in this race in 2019. Apache Anne was a $40,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2020 and has had three starts, winning the most recent of them with a dominant performance over 2040 metres at Wanganui.	Karaka 2020, Book 1	Go Racing, $40,000	Lisa Latta	Sarah Macnab
13	Another Bella	14	Another Bella (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) has been unplaced in all of her four career starts, but she was not far behind the placegetters in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1600m) and the Group Two Lowland Stakes (2100m).			Danica Guy
14	Fraulein	1	Fraulein (NZ) (Proisir) has picked up two placings from a nine-start career to date, and her two appearances in stakes races have produced an eighth in the Listed Fillies' Stakes (1200m) and a seventh in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m).			Buddy Lammas	Robert Hannam