Filly Series Hots Up as Satinka Seals Second in a Row

Backing up after her Boxing Day victory, Stravinsky filly Satinka put herself within striking distance of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series leader with a hard fought win in the $125,000 Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.

With race favourite Keepa Cruisin (Keeper - Just Cruising) declared a late scratching at the barrier, 13 fillies contested the sixth leg of the ten-race Series with Satinka (Stravinsky - Miss Saigon) holding off her challengers to win by half a length to Kaatoon (Kaapstad - Toonsie) in second and Keffiya (Cape Cross - Howkudai) just a half-head away in third.�Winning�trainers Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, together with jockey Bruce Herd, were celebrating their second victory of the day�with Satinka after an earlier win�by Red Square (Danske - Alberton Star) in the $30,000 Winning Edge Mile.

Satinka's�win in the Group 2 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) just six days earlier on the same track had given her her first 8 points on the Filly of the Year Series leaderboard, only to supplement her tally by a further 8 points within a week to bring her just 2 points behind current Series leader Insouciant (Keeper - Loudenne) on 18 points.

Bred by Wayne & Vicki Pike, Satinka was a $190,000 purchase from the Karaka Premier Sale by Robbie Hewetson.

The three-year-old fillies will step back to a mile in the next leg of the prestigious Filly Series with the running of the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham on 26 January. Both Insouciant and Satkina�are amongst the fillies looking to make the trip to Wellington to contest the $100,000 pool and the points on offer.

Click here for current results of the 2007/8 New Zeland Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series and the up-to-date leaderboard.