NZB Filly of the Year Series Commences at Hawke's Bay

The first race in the prestigious New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, the Group 3 Hawke's Bay Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), is set to run at Hawke's Bay on Saturday.

New Zealand Bloodstock will once again offer connections of the overall Series winner lucrative bonuses which will be kept at�the same level as last year. The winning owner will receive NZ$30,000 while the winning trainer and breeder will each take home NZ$10,000 apiece.

Saturday's $70,000 purse will be contested by 15 three-year-old fillies with last season's Champion Two-Year-Old, Banchee (Oratorio x Miss Jessie Jay), heading the field for John Sargent. Finishing out of the money only once in her career to date, the half-sister to 2009-10 Filly of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old, Katie Lee, topped her season performances with a Group 1 win in the ARC Diamond Stakes (1200m). �

Trainers of Katie Lee, Graeme and Debbie Rogerson, will be represented by smart O'Reilly filly Dating (ex Mandate), winner of three of her four starts including the Listed Levin RC Ryder (1200m) in July. Second to Dating in Levin, and also featuring in Saturday's line-up, is the Lisa Latta trained Zennista (Zenno Rob Roy x Zarnista) who placed in all three of her starts last season.

Another winner of three as a two-year-old is Smoulder (Traditionally x Flying Firebird) whose season highlight was her win in the ARC Great Northern Foal Stakes (1400m) in May. In what was a strong start to her three-year-old campaign Smoulder came forth earlier this month in the Listed Wanganui JC Fordell O'Leary's Stakes (1200m), which was won by another of Saturday's contenders Rememba Howe (Handsome Ransom x Yachting Magic).

Windsor Park Stud's Thorn Park will be represented by two promising fillies, Magic Briar (ex Alberton Magic) who has never raced out of the money and the Jason Bridgman trained Miss Thorn (ex Spray Days) who came home third in the Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m) in February.

Jason will be represented by another of his stable in the line-up, Pins filly Sans Souci (ex Buckling), who earned herself black type last season with a third in the Listed Foxton Castletown Stakes (1200m).

Andrew Scott's Irish Jewel (Street Cry x Lowan Behold) and Murray and Bjorn Baker's Lol (General Nediym x Kazak) will both have their first start for the season in this Hawke's Bay Group 3 contest.

Making up the field are well regarded fillies Faro Rubino (Ruby's Jester x Harbour Lights), Ma Belle Ami (Commands x Latestu), daughter of Falkirk Miss Marauder (ex Kate Lorimer), Panthera (One Cool Cat x Tesoro) and Roger James' Macavity (Keeper x Cat Shmea).

Katie Lee took the Series last year with 38 points and all fillies assembled for tomorrow's Group 3 Hawke's Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) are in with a chance to grab valuable first points with the winner gaining six, the runner-up receiving three, and the third placed finisher accruing one and a half points.

Click here for the list of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series race dates.