Emerging Talent Takes Spotlight in NZB Desert Gold Stakes
29 January 2021
A field stacked with up-and-coming talent will head to Trentham this Saturday to line up in the seventh leg of the 2020-21 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series – the $70,000 Group Three New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).
After the first six legs of the Series, the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Kahma Lass (NZ) (Darci Brahma) tops the table with 15 points.
Group Two winners Amarelinha (NZ) (Savabeel) and Needle and Thread (Makfi) share second spot with 8 points, followed by the 1000 Guineas runner-up Miss Tycoon Rose (Written Tycoon) on 7 and the Group Three winners Miss Aotearoa (NZ) (Per Incanto), De La Terre (NZ) (Reliable Man) and Whimsical (NZ) (Savabeel) on 6 each.
None of those fillies are in the line-up for Saturday’s Desert Gold Stakes, but plenty of emerging talent will battle it out at Trentham to try to make their own moves up the table in the second half of the Filly of the Year Series.
Four of the runners in the Desert Gold Stakes already have Filly of the Year Series points to their name. Fleetwood Maca (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) is currently in eighth place with 4 points, having finished second behind Amarelinha in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Boxing Day.
Love For All (Love Conquers All) and Sweet Anna (NZ) (Tavistock) each finished second at Group Three level earlier in the Series, earning 3 points apiece, while Signora Nera (NZ) (Sweynesse) picked up 1.5 points from a third placing at Group Three level.
The lightly raced Key (Exceed and Excel) is another runner in Saturday’s field who has already earned black type, having finished second against male three-year-olds in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki in November. Six other runners in this talented line-up have already won races.
The New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes will be run as Race 6 at Trentham on Saturday, with a start time of 3:05pm.
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey | Purchaser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fleetwood Maca | 3 | Rock 'n' Pop filly Fleetwood Maca (NZ) is a daughter of Macavelli Miss (NZ) (Vettori), who won the Group One Thorndon Mile (1600m) at this meeting 15 years ago. Macavelli Miss is also the dam of Mac de Lago (Encosta de Lago), who was a Group One winner in South Africa. From five starts, Fleetwood Maca has recorded a win and two black-type placings. She ran third in the Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial (1500m), then earned 4 NZB Filly of the Year Series points with a second placing in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m). | Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard | Michael McNab | |
| 2 | Love For All | 1 | Never further back than third in her career to date, Love For All (Love Conquers All) has had four starts for a win and three placings. Her first attempt at black-type level came in her most recent appearance, finishing second in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and earning 3 NZB Filly of the Year Series points. | Bryce Newman | Ryan Elliot | |
| 3 | Key | 6 | Key (Exceed and Excel) races in the colours of Gary Harding and is trained by Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard - the same owner-trainer combination that won this month's Group One Levin Classic (1600m) with Bonham (Per Incanto). Key began her career with a three-length win on debut in October, then picked up two second placings including the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m). She was a last-start fourth in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m). | Johno Benner & Hollie Wynyard | Danielle Johnson | |
| 4 | Sweet Anna | 7 | Bought for $100,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2019, Sweet Anna (NZ) (Tavistock) made an impact earlier in the season with an impressive win at Te Rapa and a close second in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), for which she earned 3 NZB Filly of the Year Series points. Since then she has run sixth in the Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), eighth in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and sixth in the Group Two Royal Stakes (2000m). | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Opie Bosson | Purchased by Moody Racing - Karaka 2019, Book 1, $100,000 |
| 5 | Force Of Will | 13 | Racing in the colours of owner-breeder Go Bloodstock, Force Of Will (NZ) (Power) finished sixth on debut before putting together stylish back-to-back victories at Tauranga on January 2 and January 15. In the most recent of those, the Matamata filly powered clear to win by three and a half lengths over 1400 metres. | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | Craig Grylls | |
| 6 | Signora Nera | 11 | Signora Nera (NZ) (Sweynesse) was bought by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock for $40,000 from Novara Park's draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2019. She has won two of her seven starts, placing in another three including a third in last month's Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m), for which she earned 1.5 NZB Filly of the Year Series points. | Allan Sharrock | Hazel Schofer | Purchased by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock (BAFNZ) - Karaka 2019, Book 1, $40,000 |
| 7 | Charms Star | 15 | Charms Star (NZ) (Per Incanto) is trained by Lisa Latta, who bought her for $65,000 from Little Avondale Stud's Book 2 draft at Karaka 2019. She is a last-start maiden winner, romping to victory by three lengths at Wanganui on January 14. She had previously finished fifth in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m). | Lisa Latta | Sam Weatherley | Purchased by Lisa Latta - Karaka 2019, Book 2, $65,000 |
| 8 | Samina Bibi | 8 | Reliable Man filly Samina Bibi (NZ) was bought for $170,000 by co-trainer Shaune Ritchie from Westbury Stud's draft at the 2019 Ready to Run Sale. She scored a superb victory on debut at Te Rapa in November, outclassing her opposition by more than two lengths. Her only other start was in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m), where she finished seventh and came out of the race with a minor injury. | Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray | Jonathan Riddell | Purchased by Shaune Ritchie - 2019 Ready to Run Sale, $170,000 |
| 9 | Victorem | 12 | Phill Cataldo Bloodstock secured Victorem (NZ) (Shooting to Win) for $90,000 from Little Avondale Stud's Book 2 draft at Karaka 2019. The bay filly has had six starts, winning the most recent of them on January 23 - over the same course and distance as this race. | Anne Herbert | Lisa Allpress | Purchased by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock (BAFNZ) - Karaka 2019, Book 2, $90,000 |
| 10 | Passione | 2 | A half-sister to the 2017-18 NZB Filly of the Year Dijon Bleu (NZ) (Burgundy), the promising Passione (NZ) (Proisir) was bought for $100,000 at Karaka 2019 by Cambridge Stud. Like Dijon Bleu, she is trained by Lisa Latta. Passione won impressively at Otaki two starts back, and her most recent start was a solid fourth behind the subsequent Group One winner Bonham (Per Incanto). | Lisa Latta | Leith Innes | Purchased by Lisa Latta - Karaka 2019, Book 1, $100,000 |
| 11 | Sumi | 14 | The lowest-priced yearling purchase in the Desert Gold Stakes field, Sumi (NZ) (Atlante) was picked up for just $4,500 by trainer Allan Sharrock from Mapperley Stud's Book 3 draft at Karaka 2019. She won or placed in all of her first four starts, then her saddle slipped when she was a last-start eighth. | Allan Sharrock | Sam Collett | Purchased by SA Sharrock - Karaka 2019, Book 3, $4,500 |
| 12 | Arancia | 5 | Sweet Orange filly Arancia (NZ) has shown promise with two placings in her career to date, along with a close and creditable fifth in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. In her only start since then, she finished 10th in the Group Two Royal Stakes (2000m). | Team Rogerson | Chris Johnson | |
| 13 | El Roseay | 9 | El Roseay (NZ) (El Roca) cost $15,000 at both Karaka 2019 and the Ready to Run Sale later that year. She has had five starts to date, recording a second and a third as well as a strong fourth behind star colt Brando (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie. | Jenna Mahoney | Johnathan Parkes | Purchased by Mr M Vlasic, 2019 Ready to Run Sale, $15,000 |
| 14 | Kaluanui | 4 | Bought for $15,000 by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock and trainer John Bary from Landsdowne Park's draft in Book 2 of Karaka 2019, Kaluanui (NZ) (Sacred Falls) has placed in four of her eight starts to date. | John Bary | Leah Hemi | Purchased by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock (BAFNZ) / John Bary Racing - Karaka 2019, Book 2, $15,000 |
| 15 | Da Vinci Girl | 10 | Da Vinci Girl (NZ) (Zacinto) was passed in at Karaka 2019 with a reserve of $12,000. She has recorded four placings from eight starts so far, and she wasn't far away when 11th against New Zealand's very best fillies in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November. | Michael & Matthew Pitman | Kozzi Asano | Passed In at Karaka 2019 |