Art De Triomphe (NZ) Dominates Southern Filly Rivals

Less than 10 minutes after last season’s New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series champion Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) starred in Sydney, the same Go Racing colours were carried to success in the first leg of the next Southern Filly Series – the $60,000 Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton Park. 

Atishu earned her Southern Filly title with spectacular performances in Riccarton’s Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) and Warstep Stakes (2000m), and on Saturday she added the Group Three Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick to her growing CV. Meanwhile in Christchurch, the Go Racing baton has been passed on to the exciting Art De Triomphe (NZ) (Vadamos).

Bought for $80,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2020, Art De Triomphe had won two of her four previous career starts and stepped out on to Riccarton Park on Saturday as a clear favourite.

The up-and-comer went to a new high in the three-year-old fillies’ feature, striding forward powerfully to take command when jockey Kylie Williams released the brakes at the top of the straight.

The Andrew Carston-trained Art De Triomphe blasted clear through the closing 200 metres, opening up a dominant winning margin of three lengths over Sorrento (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Irish Red (NZ) (Burgundy).

Art De Triomphe has now had five starts for three wins, a third and a fourth, earning $68,318 in stakes for her Go Racing syndicate.

“It’s fair to say there is a nice bottle of red to celebrate with later on this evening after what has just happened,” manager Albert Bosma told NZ Racing Desk. “You plan for things like this and hope they come off, but it’s not often they do.

“Art De Triomphe is a very good filly and we’ve known that for some time. They still have to prove it though, and I think her win today goes a long way to doing that.

“She is just the ultimate professional – at home all she wants to do is eat and sleep, but when there is a task for her, she is all business. That’s a quality all the top horses we have ever had have exhibited.

“The Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) is her main target, and at this stage she will have one more run in the Barneswood Farm Stakes (Group Three, 1400m) next month before she then goes to the Guineas at Riccarton.

“She is very well-bred, and being by Vadamos out of a mare that won up to 1600 metres, we think she has the long-term potential to get over ground.

“If she was to go well in the 1000 Guineas, then the natural progression would be to look at the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in January and then possibly an Australian campaign after that.

“That is all wishful thinking at this stage – she has to tackle the quality fillies in the 1000 Guineas first, but it is good to dream.”

Art De Triomphe heads the Southern Filly Series table with 7 points, while Sorrento has 4 and Irish Red has 2.

The Southern Filly Series now takes a spring and summer hiatus before resuming in the autumn with the $60,000 Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui on March 5.

Vendor	Seaton Park
Purchaser	Go Racing (Auckland)
Breeding	Vadamos – Art Beat
Sale	Lot 437, Karaka 2020 Book 1, $80,000
Bred by	G & Mrs S Bluett & J F Marks