Flying Start to NZB Filly of the Year Series

New Zealand Bloodstock's Filly of the Year Series got off to a flying start over the weekend as the three year olds battled it out in the $50,000 Group 3 Highview Stakes at Hawke's Bay.

The even betting was testament to the top quality field that the race had drawn. But at the line Eloa (Volksraad x Cent From Heaven), last season's Champagne Stakes winner, was too good and clinched the race by three-quarters of a length from stablemate Clean Sweep (End Sweep x Eidercrown). A fast finishing Sheka (Sandtrap x Lynsu) ran home gamely for third.

Eloa was bred locally at Little Avondale Stud and was raced by the Jam Tarts Syndicate headed by a delighted Catriona Williams.

This race is renowned for attracting quality fillies and last year was won by reigning Filly of the Year champion, Taatletail.

The points table after the first race of the Series is:

Eloa 6
Clean Sweep 3
Sheka 1.5

The next race in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series is the Group 3 Indian Danehill Lowland Stakes on 9th October at Masterton Racing Club.

In the meantime the New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series kicks of this weekend on 25th September at Canterbury Jockey Club. The first race in the Southern Series is the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes.

New Zealand Bloodstock Sales Graduates

New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Series graduate Starcraft (NZ) (Soviet Star x Flying Floozie) added to his collection of black type wins when he took out the second leg of the Hawke's Bay "triple crown" in the Group 2 Stoney Bridge Stakes. In what was a repeat quinella of the first leg, the $80,000 Premier Sales graduate swept past the talented mare Miss Potential (AUS) (Dolphin Street x Richfield Rose) in the last stages of the race to win by a long neck. The big chestnut is now set to run in New Zealand's richest race, the Group 1 Kelt Capital Stakes on 2nd October.