No three-year-old filly had ever completed the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas - Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas double, but that all changed when Karaka graduate Katie Lee backed up to beat the best of her age and gender in the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas, sponsored by New Zealand Bloodstock.

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�Katie Lee winning the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas

The roughly run contest ensured that only the toughest filly would succeed and Katie Lee (Pins x Miss Jessie Jay, by Spectacularphantom) absorbed more than her fair share of interference and still had the capacity to sprint from behind mid-field to claim the majority of the $300,000 prize-money on offer.

The Graeme and Debbie Rogerson trained filly was purchased as a yearling from the 2008 Karaka Premier Sale by current owners Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan for $340,000. Bred by Mark and Denny Baker and raised on their Waikato property, she was offered through the draft of their Hallmark Stud.

A product of the wonderful New Zealand-based Miss Distinction family which includes Group 1 winner Gee I Jane and Group winners San Bernadino and Miss Jessie Jay, the dashing grey now has earnings in excess of $900,000.

Katie Lee now leads the current New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series with 13.5 points, ahead of Keep the Peace (Keeper) who placed second behind Katie Lee in Saturday's Group 1 1000 Guineas and gained seven points.

Third placed Our Ella Belle (Encosta De Lago) grabbed her first three and a half points in the Series and now sits in fifth position in the table.

The Group 3 Ezibuy Eulogy Stakes at Manawatu on 12 December is the fourth leg of the ten-race New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series with current standings available here.

Connections have confirmed that Katie Lee will stay within New Zealand this season to contest the NZB Filly of the Year Series and possibly the Group 1 $2.2 million NZ Derby in March at Ellerslie.

Katie Lee's Group 1 NZB 1000 Guineas victory takes the NZB Group 1 tally to nine this season from seven individual Group 1 winners. Click here to see the full list.

Katie Lee's leading sire Pins is represented by eight colts and geldings at tomorrow's Ready to Run Sale of Two Year Olds (17 November). These include:

Lot 147 - Chestnut Gelding - Pins x Winds of Conquest (Quest for Fame) - Phoenix Park

��������� This gelding is a half-brother to five winners including dual Group 3 winner Coup Bloomsbury (Centaine), Group 3 placed Like The Wind (Deputy Governor), and America's Cup (Kaapstad).

��������� In a recent pedigree update this gelding's half-sister O'Tobefamous (Zabeel) has won a further two races in Melbourne since the catalogue went to print.

��������� Click here for breeze-up video.

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Encosta Diablo Wins Back Karaka Million Top Spot

Smart two-year-old Encosta Diablo (Encosta De lago x Devil's Lair, by Sir Tristram) wrestled back the top spot in the current $1,000,000 Karaka Million Order of Entry after he proved too good in the $45,000 Listed Berkely Stud Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

The son of Encosta took his earnings to $32,225 in victory and in doing so leap-frogged fellow Mark Walker trained galloper Big River (General Nediym) who now sits in second position on the order of entry with $29,875 stake earnings.

The $600,000 yearling purchase by David Ellis of Te Akau Stables is now raced by the Te Akau Four Colts' Syndicate, and has real stallion looks to go with a strong pedigree being a half-brother to two Group winners including Group 1 NZ Oaks winner�Vapour Trail�(Jetball)and Group 2 Great Northern Guineas winner Santagostino (Ginat's Causeway).

Click here for the updated Karaka Million Order of Entry.

Three colts by Encosta De Lago will be offered at New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale tomorrow, Tuesday 17 November.

Educated, breezed, and ready for the racetrack, the three colts highlight the Ready to Run drafts of Wellfield Lodge, Esker Lodge, and Lyndhurst Farm.

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More Stakes Success

Karaka graduates scored in a further three stakes-races across Australasia on Saturday from Tauranga, to Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Marquardt

Patinack Farm enjoyed a well deserved black-type victory with their Karaka purchase Marquardt (Shamardal x Centrefold Angel, by Centaine) at Sandown on Saturday, the last day of the Victorian Spring Carnival.

Group 2 placed at two in the Magic Night Stakes, Marquardt went on to finish strongly for sixth in the richest juvenile contest in the world, the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m).

Returning this season at three, Marquardt has continued her rise to prominence and on Saturday was rewarded with her first black-type success in the Listed Snowhite Stakes (1400m).

A $100,000 purchase from Little Avondale Stud, Marquardt is the sixth stakes-winner worldwide for young Darley sire Shamardal who is represented by Lot 209 from Te Runga Stud at tomorrow's Karaka Ready to Run Sale.

Out of Group 3 winner Clerio (Soviet Star), this colt is a direct descendent of Champion mare La Mer. His breeze can be viewed here.

Please note: This colt is incorrectly catalogued as foaled 1 January 2007. He was in fact born on 30 September 2007.

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Sir Slick

At Tauranga Sir Slick (Volksraad x Miss Opera, by Paris House) took the fourteenth stakes race of his career when taking out the Group 3 Tauranga Stakes (1600m)�less than a week after flying in from Australia.

New Zealand's war-horse settled off the pace on this occasion and sprinted past competitors in the home straight to take his earnings to $1.7 million from 106 starts. Trained by Graeme Nicholson and Paul Allbon, it was Nicholson who purchased 'Slick' from the 2003 Karaka Select Sale for $48,000.

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Our Lukas

Our Lukas (Generous x Parfore, by Gold Brose) rounded out the Karaka stakes success over the weekend when winning the Listed Brisbane Handicap (1600m) at Eagle Farm.

It was the ninth win for the chestnut at start number 28, with other victories including June's Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m).

Trained by Robert Heachcote at Eagle Farm, Our Lukas was a Paul Willetts purchase from Westbury Stud for $20,000 at the 2005 Karaka Select Sale.

View the catalogue at http://www.nzb.co.nz/ or for a hard copy contact [email protected]. Breeze Up DVDs (TV or PC) are also available from [email protected]. View breeze-ups online here. For assistance with transport and hotel bookings in Auckland contact NZB Hospitality Coordinator Victoria Vela on +64 9298 0055 or email [email protected].

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