Fillies and Mares’ Triple Crown Kicks Off at Trentham

12 March 2020

Yearn headlines the first leg of the NZB Insurance Fillies & Mares Triple Crown Series.
Yearn headlines the first leg of the NZB Insurance Fillies & Mares Triple Crown Series.

The last of the three brand-new NZB Insurance Triple Crown Series will kick off at Trentham on Saturday in the $70,000 Group 3 Wentwood Grange Cuddle Stakes (1600m).

The race is the first leg of the NZB Insurance Fillies and Mares’ Triple Crown. It will be followed by the $200,000 Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha on April 4 and the $100,000 Group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on April 25.

The Fillies and Mares’ Triple Crown is one of three NZB Insurance Triple Crown Series introduced this year to boost prize-money for New Zealand’s feature racing in the summer and autumn. Each Series has a $100,000 bonus available for any horse who can win all three of the designated races.

Saturday’s Cuddle Stakes field is headed by Yearn (NZ) (Savabeel), who won the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) earlier in the season and placed in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) over the same course and distance as Saturday’s race.

Sentimental Miss (NZ) (Reliable Man) won the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at this meeting last year and has been a Listed winner this season.

Secret Allure (NZ) (Zacinto), Dark Princess (NZ) (Cape Blanco), Sinarahma (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Beyond the Fort (NZ) (Niagara) are all stakes winners, while Tinkalicious (NZ) (Nadeem), Za Za Gabor (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Vee Cece (Canford Cliffs) have placed at black-type level.

The Wentwood Grange Cuddle Stakes will be run as Race 5 at Trentham on Saturday with a start time of 2:35pm.

Full race preview:
# Horse Draw Comments Trainer Jockey
1 Yearn 6 Quality mare Yearn (NZ) (Savabeel) has won seven races and more than $300,000 in stakes, and her biggest win came in the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1400m) in November. Her last start at this venue was in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) in January, where she ran a terrific race for third. Karen Fursdon Danielle Johnson
2 Sentimental Miss 1 Sentimental Miss (NZ) (Reliable Man) hit a career pinnacle at this meeting 12 months ago, scoring a superb win in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). Her best performance this season was a victory in the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) on November 30. She is building towards targets over longer distances later in the autumn. Lisa Latta Lisa Allpress
3 Secret Allure 8 Zacinto mare Secret Allure (NZ) is a previous Group 3 winner over this course and distance, taking out the Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) in January 2019. She added the Group 3 Taranaki Breeders' Stakes (1400m) at Hawera in October,  and finished fourth in the Group 2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) in December. She has been unplaced in two subsequent appearances on firm summer tracks. Lisa Latta Leith Innes
4 Dark Princess 11 Dark Princess (NZ) (Cape Blanco) won the Group 3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) over this course and distance last season, and finished fourth in the Thorndon Mile. She finished ninth in this year's edition of the Thorndon, and made up ground last start when sixth in the Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m). Jeff Lynds Michael Coleman
5 Sinarahma 7 With five-time Group 1 winner Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill) as her sire and four-time Group 1 winner Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar) her dam, Sinarahma (NZ) has the pedigree to be a superstar. She has started to live up to it on the track, winning three of her last four starts including the Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes. Allan Sharrock Sam Collett
6 Jessiegee 2 Jessiegee (NZ) (Alamosa) ran a big race for second in the Group 3 Taranaki Cup (1800m) two starts back, then struggled to find racing room in the straight when ninth in the Group 2 Avondale Cup (2400m). Mike Breslin Rosie Myers
7 Beyond The Fort 13 This time last year, Beyond The Fort (NZ) (Niagara) arrived at Trentham unbeaten in two starts. She was thrown in at the deep end in the New Zealand Oaks, and she ran a massive race for second. She added a victory in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) later that season. She has had a win and two placings from five starts in her four-year-old preparation. Bill Thurlow Kozzi Asano
8 Tinkalicious 12 Tinkalicious (NZ) (Nadeem) finished third in this race last year, and she also placed in the Group 3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) in December. She was an unlucky seventh in the Group 3 Anniversary (1600m) at this track in January, then finished seventh over 1200 metres in her only subsequent start. Janelle Millar Johnathan Parkes
9 Za Za Gabor 9 Za Za Gabor (O'Reilly) has had 18 starts for only two wins, but she has also run second in the Warstep Stakes, third in the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) and a last-start fourth in the Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes. Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard Craig Grylls
10 Crafty Jess 5 Consistent mare Crafty Jess (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) has won six races and has produced strong finishes in recent starts at Matamata and Ellerslie. This is her first start at stakes level. Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman Vinnie Colgan
11 Aridity 10 Aridity (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) strung together three impressive wins in a row in December, January and February. A slow start proved costly in her most recent appearance, finishing sixth at Awapuni on February 28. Robbie Patterson Leah Hemi
11 Vee Cece 3 Close up in some strong fillies' races as a three-year-old, Vee Cece (Canford Cliffs) has stepped up this season with a second placing in the Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes. Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman Matt Cameron
12 Lady Rudolph 4 Lady Rudolph (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) has been a strong performer this season, collecting two wins and three placings from seven starts. This is her toughest test. Robbie Patterson Robert Hannam