Quality Field for Fourth Leg of NZB Filly of the Year Series
22 December 2017
New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2017-18 Filly of the Year Series heads to the northern half of New Zealand’s North Island for the first time with the $100,000 Group 2 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
The race is the fourth leg of the Series, and it will be followed six days later by the $100,000 Group 2 Royal Stakes (2000m) at the same venue.
The Eight Carat Classic may be missing the current Series leader, Dijon Bleu (NZ) (Burgundy), but it is a field stacked with quality. All but one of the 12 runners are winners.
Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel) was a dominant winner of the Group 1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton at her last start. That earned her 12 points and second place on the table. She is a previous winner at Ellerslie, taking out last season’s Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1200m).
Hasahalo currently trails Dijon Bleu by 4 points and and an Eight Carat victory on Boxing Day would give her the lead.
Among those standing in her way is Spring Heat (More Than Ready), who made an enormous impression when she won the Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on her black-type debut earlier this month.
Race rivals Princess Rihanna (NZ) (Showcasing) and Contessa Vanessa (NZ) (Bullbars) are on the Filly of the Year Series table with 1.5 points each. The fillies finished third in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) respectively.
Kapoor (NZ) (Reliable Man) and Trail Blazer (NZ) (Roc de Cambes) have also been stakes-placed this season.
The winner of the Eight Carat Classic will earn 8 points, with 4 points for second and 2 for third.
The Eight Carat Classic will be run as Race 8 with a start time of 4.48pm.
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | Hasahalo | 10 | Currently second on the Filly of the Year Series table with 12 points, Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel) was a last-start winner of the Group 1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). She produced an explosive finish from well back in the field to win by a widening four lengths. | Stephen McKee | Sam Spratt |
| 2 | Princess Rihanna | 2 | Talented filly Princess Rihanna (NZ) (Showcasing) showed her quality last season with fourth placings in four consecutive black-type races including the Karaka Million (1200m) and the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). She scored an impressive win over older horses at this track last start. | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | Mick Dee |
| 3 | Spring Heat | 9 | There has always been a bit of hype surrounding Spring Heat (More Than Ready), and she lived up to it in style last start in the Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at this track. Making just her third start and her first at black-type level, she swept past a quality field for an effortless win by two and a half lengths. | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | Jake Bayliss |
| 4 | Kapoor | 5 | The ultra-consistent Kapoor (NZ) (Reliable Man) has won or placed in six of her eight starts, including runner-up finishes in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and Trevor Eagle Memorial (1500m) at this track. | John Bell | Danielle Johnson |
| 5 | Trail Blazer | 12 | The Oaks Stud's Trail Blazer (NZ) (Roc de Cambes) has won or placed in a remarkable seven of her eight starts, and she flew home from a long way back for a fast-closing second in the Group 3 Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki last start. | Robert Priscott | Michael Coleman |
| 6 | Sandrine | 11 | Savabeel filly Sandrine (NZ) has made a big impression in winning both starts to date, over 1200m at Pukekohe and 1500m at Ellerslie. This is her first attempt at stakes level. | Graeme & Debbie Rogerson | Leith Innes |
| 7 | Contessa Vanessa | 1 | After running fourth in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes and seventh in the 1000 Guineas, Contessa Vanessa (NZ) (Bullbars) picked up her first black-type placing in the Eulogy Stakes last start. | Graeme & Debbie Rogerson | Ryan Elliot |
| 8 | Charli Rose | 3 | Pierro filly Charli Rose (NZ) finished within five lengths of the winner in her seventh placings in both the Gold Trail Stakes and the Trevor Eagle Memorial. Jockey Johnathan Parkes won this race last year aboard Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge). | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Johnathan Parkes |
| 9 | Lily The Pink | 7 | Well-related mare Lily The Pink (NZ) (Makfi) had only one start at two, finishing fourth in the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes (1400m) at this track. She resumed here earlier this month and scored an impressive maiden win. | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Matthew Cameron |
| 10 | O'Hara | 6 | A full-sister to the 2015 Eight Carat Classic winner Capella (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), O'Hara (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) represents the same trainer (Danica Guy) and owner-breeder (Gary Harding). O'Hara won well on debut, and in her two subsequent starts she has finished third at Te Rapa and seventh in the Bonecrusher Stakes. | Danica Guy | Samantha Collett |
| 11 | Gris Dame | 4 | Gris Dame (NZ) (Reliable Man) has mixed her form in her three-start career so far, but she produced an outstanding finish for her maiden win at Te Aroha in November. | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | Cameron Lammas |
| 12 | Za Za Gabor | 8 | Za Za Gabor (O'Reilly) is the only maiden filly in this year's Eight Carat field. She has finished fifth and fourth in her two starts to date. | Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard |