Strong Field Assembled For NZB Ethereal Stakes
18 October 2017
A quality field of three-year-old fillies will put their prospects for next month’s Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) to the test on Saturday when they run in a race which carries special significance for its sponsors, the A$150,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield.
Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm) was bred and raced by New Zealand Bloodstock principal Sir Peter Vela and his late brother Phillip. She won eight races including the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, BMW and Queensland Oaks. She won the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double in 2001, the last horse to win both races in the same year.
The Ethereal Stakes was established in 2010, and its honour roll includes the subsequent Oaks winner Set Square (Reset).
Last year’s race had a fitting winner in the form of the classy New Zealand filly Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi), whose dam Sopra Tutto (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy) is a daughter of Ethereal.
The Ethereal Stakes will be run as Race 3 on Saturday’s Caulfield Cup day programme with a start time of 1:25pm (3:25pm NZT).
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | One More Honey | 1 | Sydney raider One More Honey (Onemorenomore) brings strong black-type form into this race, having run fifth in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) and fourth in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) in her last two starts. | John Thompson | Blake Shinn |
| 2 | Legal Girl | 16 | Unplaced in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m), Legal Girl (Star Witness) is stepping down in class but up in distance. She finished third in a recent trial at Warwick Farm. | Clarry Conners | Luke Nolen |
| 3 | Lucky Louie | 10 | Pluck filly Lucky Louie finished fourth in the Group 2 Silver Slipper (1100m) last season and has been close-up in lower grades so far this spring. | Anthony & Edward Cummings | Ben Melham |
| 4 | Speedway | 9 | Godolphin filly Speedway (Street Cry) has won or placed in six of her eight starts and won comfortably at Newcastle on October 7. This is her first black-type start. | James Cummings | Hugh Bowman |
| 5 | Hiyaam | 8 | New Zealand-bred filly Hiyaam (High Chaparral) was an impressive maiden winner last month and stepped up to stakes level with a strong last-start second in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m). | Mick Price | Michael Dee |
| 6 | Pinot | 19 | Pierro filly Pinot relished the step up to 1800 metres last start, winning by three and three-quarter lengths at Flemington. This is her black-type debut. | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Stephen Baster |
| 7 | Coral Coast | 4 | A beautifully bred daughter of So You Think and the Group 1 winner Dorabella (NZ) (Postponed), Coral Coast placed in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) and is stepping down in class after running eighth in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m). | Stuart Webb | Dwayne Dunn |
| 8 | Smooth Landing | 12 | Although still a maiden, Smooth Landing has performed well in strong company including a last-start fifth in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m). | John Thompson | Damian Lane |
| 9 | Uptown Gal | 13 | Although only 11th in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) last start, Uptown Gal (Fastnet Rock) has placed in four of her other five starts. | Robbie Laing | Noel Callow |
| 10 | Rimraam | 6 | Rimraam (NZ) (Commands) has never finished further back than second in her five-start career, including a 1755-metre maiden victory at Geelong last start. | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Chad Schofield |
| 11 | Seababe | 20 | Sebring filly Seababe won impressively at Newcastle before a last-start eighth in the Listed Dulcify Quality (1600m) at Randwick. | Gary Portelli | Joao Moreira |
| 12 | Teodora | 5 | The Darren Weir-trained Teodora (Teofilo) is unbeaten in two starts to date. This is her black-type debut. | Darren Weir | |
| 13 | State Of Play | 2 | After showing promise over shorter distances, State Of Play (Fastnet Rock) stepped up to 2000 metres at Hawkesbury last start and won by three lengths. | Gerald Ryan | Craig Williams |
| 14 | Think Diamonds | 11 | Think Diamonds (So You Think) is still a maiden, but she has placed in four of her six starts. | Anthony Freedman | Kerrin McEvoy |
| 15 | Studio City | 15 | Fourth in a Listed race at Flemington during the winter, Studio City (Teofilo) is another filly to have recently stepped up in distance with an impressive win. She scored by three and a quarter lengths over 2046 metres at Seymour. | Matt Cumani | Harry Coffey |
| 16 | Tigeen | 18 | O'Reilly filly Tigeen (NZ) was a debut winner in September before finishing second in her only other appearance. | Matt Cumani | Daniel Moor |
| 17 | Snogging | 17 | Snogging (I Am Invincible) was a four-length winner at Tatura before finishing ninth in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m). | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Damien Oliver |
| 18 | Pres De Toi | 3 | Pres De Toi (Helmet) produced a string of promising placed performances before a last-start 10th in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m). | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | |
| 19 | Reliable Dame | 7 | By in-form stallion Reliable Man, Reliable Dame scored a smart maiden win last start at Ballarat. | Anthony Freedman | Mark Zahra |
| 20 | Four Koalas | 14 | The step up to 2000 metres last start brought a career-best second placing at Seymour for the Animal Kingdom filly Four Koalas, who is stepping up to stakes level for the first time here. | Brian McGrath |