Tellum (NZ) Steals the Show in Eight Carat

Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) moved back up to the top of the NZB Filly of the Year points table after the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, but that is not what the $270,000 race will be remembered for.

Lollapalooza finished second in an Eight Carat Classic that was won in brilliant front-running style by the $23 longshot Tellum (NZ) (Ocean Park). Passed in at Karaka 2024 with a $50,000 reserve, Tellum has now had seven starts for three wins, a placing and $180,070 in stakes.

The Eight Carat was a breakthrough moment in the career of Tellum, who made a big impression with back-to-back victories at Te Aroha in October and November but then may not have been suited to the left-handed direction of racing when unplaced in the Listed O’Learys Fillies’ Stakes (1340m) at Wanganui.

It was a very different story on Boxing Day as Tellum and jockey Joe Doyle controlled the race from the front and then threw down the gauntlet with a potent kick at the top of the home straight.

Rival riders did all they could to get their mounts to bridge the gap, and none did a better job of it than the strong-finishing Lollapalooza, but there was no catching Tellum.

It was an unforgettable triumph for Te Awamutu trainer Debbie Sweeney and a big group of owners in the Flying Mullet Racing Syndicate.

“This is extra special, she’s a tough filly who has shown a lot the whole way through,” Sweeney said. “It’s a great team of owners, 47 or 49 of them, and I’m so thankful to them. There are a lot of characters in there, and when she won at Te Aroha, they were all in the pub at Papamoa and having an absolute blast.

“I did say to Joe that she does like to be on pace, and I couldn’t believe how easily she was travelling. I thought we were a massive chance then, and I’m just rapt with her.

“We will now carry on with her three-year-old campaign after we see how she pulls up.”

Tellum earned 8 points from her Eight Carat Classic success, which puts her in an equal third place on the NZB Filly of the Year Series table alongside Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma). Lollapalooza’s 4 points lift her to a total of 20, sharing the lead with Well Written (Written Tycoon) who is unlikely to compete in any other Filly of the Year Series races.

The third placegetter in the Eight Carat was Lollapalooza’s stablemate Fleeting Star (Cool Aza Beel), who has added her name to the table with 4 points.

The next leg of the NZB Filly of the Year Series is now less than a week away, with the $270,000 Group Two Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) set to be run back at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.

Vendor	Waikato Stud Ltd
Breeding	Ocean Park – Early Morning Rise
Sale	Lot 34, Karaka 2024 Book 1, Psd (Res $50,000)
Breeder	Waikato Stud Ltd
Owner	Flying Mullet Racing Syndicate One (Mgr: John Tarrant)