Two out of Two for Miss Federer (NZ)

Classy Canterbury filly Miss Federer (NZ) (Swiss Ace) went to Wingatui on Saturday and doubled her lead in the New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series.

Trained by Andrew Carston, the $10,000 Karaka purchase had won the only previous leg of the Series, the $50,000 Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton in September.

She lined up again in Saturday’s second leg, the $50,000 Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m), and the result was exactly the same.

Ridden by Kylie Williams, Miss Federer burst out of the starting gate and dominated the race from the front. She kicked strongly in the straight, putting herself out of reach of the gallant placegetters All About Magic (NZ) (Showcasing) and Trifolium (Krupt).

Owned by an enthusiastic group of 17 owners, Miss Federer has now won five of her 12 starts and $160,385 in stakes – more than 16 times her purchase price.

She maintains a clear Southern Filly of the Year Series lead with 14 points. All About Magic, who has finished second in both legs, now has 8 points, while Trifolium and Woodcote Lass (NZ) (Showcasing) have 2 points each.

“I think that win cements her lead in the Southern Filly of the Year series,” Carston told NZ Racing Desk. “She won’t contest the last two legs, but hopefully she is too far in front for the others to catch her.

“We’ve had a bit of a tough time with her of late, so it is very satisfying to see her win this one. They have just been niggling problems and she wasn’t breathing that well in her races.

“I was asking around some other trainers and got plenty of good advice that we have managed to put into practice, so I’m delighted we could get the win.

“Kylie gave her a copybook ride. “She didn’t get a lot of pressure from the others and when she got some cheap sectionals, I knew she was going to be hard to beat.”

The two remaining legs of the Series are the $50,000 Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on April 4, and the $50,000 Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at the same venue two weeks later.

In addition to a trophy presented to the connections at the South Island Racing Awards, the Southern Filly of the Year winner will also receive an insurance policy from NZB Insurance to the value of $50,000 + GST.