This Listed 3yo event over 1500m once again saw the North Island prepared filly Excelleration dominate at this level and she has all of her age covered in the Mainland racing at the moment for sure. She sat back on a slow track day then was jogging across the top wide before surging the run home and leading at the 200m. The filly powered away and coasted over the line to win by a length and three quarters and clock 1:33.56. It was her fourth win in eight starts and she has now won on dry and wet footing plus is staying in a South Island yard until a fortnight more until likely returning home. She will try for the Listed hattrick in a couple of weeks over the mile at Ascot Park and will be odds on then. Global Thinking, also North Island trained, ran on well for second and could be the same quinella in a couple of weeks. Czechoslovakia ran a brave third considering he was just out of maidens and got trapped wide sixth mostly before moving up deepest turning for home and taking the front soon after. He got windburn from the winner striding past him at the 200m and then was third at the 100m but held that position by a length at the line. Kiwi Ida after a tardy start ran on okay for fourth while The Sparkle was a disappointing fifth beaten six lengths considering she ran fourth in the G1 1000 Guineas (1600m) last November. Thom Brown was not too bad next home and the rest got beaten almost fourteen lengths to seventeen and a half lengths. Excelleration has the 3yo ranks at the moment in the South Island covered so it will be interesting to see once back in the North Island if she has improved enough to be Stakes competitive there. A good clash to get another vital piece of pecking order evidence would be if she met for example Savvy Coup now but that is unlikely with that filly on an Oaks path.
Previous Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
SON OF MAHER
(AUS)
3G AL MAHER (AUS) - DANCE HIT (NZ) TIGHTS (USA) |
C W JOHNSON | 56.5 | MICHAEL & MATTHEW PITMAN | 6 |
|
|
ANOTHER COUP
(NZ)
3F DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - GINGER NUT COUP (AUS) ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) |
L J ALLPRESS | 54.5 | MICHAEL & MATTHEW PITMAN | 14 |
|
|
BRIGHT STAR
(AUS)
3C HUSSONET (USA) - SAN CENTURY (NZ) CENTAINE (AUS) |
SHANNON DOYLE | 56.5 | SHANE KENNEDY | 7 |
|
|
MILO
(NZ)
3G COATS CHOICE (AUS) - MILK AND HONEY (NZ) WOODMAN (USA) |
D M WALSH | 56.0 | MICHAEL PITMAN | 15 |
|
|
ROCKET PROUD
(AUS)
3G RED RANSOM (USA) - ISHINCA (USA) MT LIVERMORE (USA) |
J D LAKING | 56.0 | SHANE KENNEDY | 6 |
|
|
MISS MILLBROOK
(NZ)
3F NO EXCUSE NEEDED (GB) - ARCHE (NZ) DANASINGA (AUS) |
C W JOHNSON | 54.5 | TERRY KENNEDY | 4 |
|
|
FRITZY BOY
(NZ)
3G BRILLIANCE (USA) - FRITZY GIRL (NZ) CACHE OF GOLD (USA) |
B HIBBERD | 56.0 | A MACGREGOR | 3 |
