The older runners came through under WFA here at the 2040m and no surprise in a field of many suspect middle distance types that the proven stayer in Shez Sinsational delivered. She rediscovered her best form and basically outstayed them the closing stages in what is not looking a serious G1 form for stamina regarding many of the beaten brigade. The winning time of 2:04.809 in the seventeen runnings of this race as a G1 event is just the thirteenth best time and considering the amount of runners that dropped out that is alarming. Shez Sinsational was winning her fourth G1 race today and she is the sixth different mare to win the race (they have won it seven times) since it became top shelf. The last mare to win the race was Princess Coup in 2008 and she won it the year before too. The strength of New Zealand racing and the way a whole season is set up does favour the female gallopers by an enormous amount. Six of the first seven home today were mares and the lone male in the finish was the five-year-old He’s Remarkable. Winning rider Opie Bosson was winning this for the third time after Princess Coup (2008) and Distinctly Secret (2003). On a day of some decent times this was perhaps one of the more below average clockings. The jury is still out on whether the runner up Guiseppina and fourth finisher Xanadu are middle distance horses or in fact quality sprinter-milers that can make the step up against this depth of line up. Dolmabache has a big race win in her this season on such a good effort and she has the size too. Quintessential was cost a higher finish by a wide draw but the way she went suggests a good summer and autumn at home looms.
Previous Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
JIMMY CHOUX
(NZ)
4H THORN PARK (AUS) - CIERZO (NZ) CENTAINE (AUS) |
J K RIDDELL | 57.5 | JOHN BARY | 2 |
|
|
WALL STREET
(NZ)
6G MONTJEU (IRE) - VILLA WANDA (GB) GRAND LODGE (USA) |
M T COLEMAN | 59.0 | JEFF LYNDS | 14 |
|
|
VOSNE ROMANEE
(NZ)
7G ELECTRONIC ZONE (USA) - MADISON AVENUE (NZ) MORCON (GB) |
B R LAMMAS | 59.0 | JEFF LYNDS | 5 |
|
|
PRINCESS COUP
(AUS)
5M ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) - STONEYFELL ROAD (AUS) SOVEREIGN RED (NZ) |
O P BOSSON | 56.5 | MARK WALKER | 7 |
|
|
PRINCESS COUP
(AUS)
4M ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) - STONEYFELL ROAD (AUS) SOVEREIGN RED (NZ) |
N G HARRIS | 55.0 | MARK WALKER | 12 |
|
|
LEGS
(NZ)
4M PINS (AUS) - RIVER CENTURY (NZ) CENTAINE (AUS) |
L CROPP | 55.0 | KEVIN GRAY | 1 |
|
|
XCELLENT
(NZ)
4G PENTIRE (GB) - EXCELO (NZ) CENTRO (NZ) |
M T COLEMAN | 57.0 | M MORONEY & A SCOTT | 13 |
|
|
BALMUSE
(NZ)
5G LORD BALLINA (AUS) - MUSING (GB) MUSIC MAESTRO (GB) |
J S BULLARD | 59.0 | KEVIN MYERS | 6 |
|
|
DISTINCTLY SECRET
(NZ)
5G DISTINCTLY NORTH (USA) - TE AKAU SECRET (NZ) LORD BALLINA (AUS) |
O P BOSSON | 59.0 | MARK WALKER | 2 |
|
|
PRIZED GEM
(NZ)
5M PRIZED (USA) - VAGUELY ATTENTIVE (NZ) NOBLE BIJOU (USA) |
M RODD | 56.5 | M BAKER | 6 |
|
|
CINDER BELLA
(NZ)
6M VICTORY DANCE (IRE) - LUCKY JEWEL (NZ) LUCKY RING (IRE) |
L A O'SULLIVAN | 56.5 | K ZIMMERMAN | 11 |
|
|
THE MESSAGE
(NZ)
7G GOLD AND IVORY (USA) - MISS MORRINSVILLE (NZ) DESTROYER (SAF) |
L M BALLANTYNE | 59.0 | J RALPH | 9 |
