Scarlet Vanhara Flies Away in NZB Airfreight Stakes
6 April 2009
Karaka Select Sale graduate Scarlet Vanhara produced a gutsy run in the hands of David Walsh to win the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Airfreight Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday.
In a bold move she was taken wide and then fought on to stave off strong challenges from placegetters Bird (Danasinga x Quiescent by Gleam Machine) and Metropolitan (Elusive City x Our Diva by Oregon) to win by a neck. Trained by Ross Elliot, she went into the race with some sound Northern form on her side including placings behind the likes of Glamorous Girl, Santangelo and Fyfetheknife.
The Taylor family's Trelawney Stud bred and sold the Van Nistelrooy filly at the 2007 Karaka Select Sale for NZ$25,000 to Flagtown Pty Ltd. She has strong connections with the South, with Te Mania Thoroughbred's Jo Wilding having much success with the family through Scarlet Vanhara's grand-dam, Gone With the Wind. Herself a winner of three, Gone With The Wind is the dam of New Zealand Oaks and Derby winner Zonda plus stakes winners Magnolia Hall and Man of Honour. Through two of her unraced daughters she has also produced Group 1 NZB Breeders Stakes winner Surprize Surprize, stakes winner Uprize and successful Hong Kong gallopers Win Practitioner and Palette Natural.
Entered in the upcoming National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale is a chestnut filly on account of Northgate Lodge at Lot 116 from the family. By Eltawaasul, she is out of�the half-sister to Win Practitioner and Palette Natural in Passiflora (Just A Dancer).
In addition to her share of the $50,000 purse, Scarlet Vanhara also secured seven points in the New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series, with Saturday's race being the third in the four-race series.
Metropolitan, the winner of the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes back in November, secured one point for her run for third to see her take the lead in the Series, now sitting on eight points.
The full points table is as follows:
| Horse� | �Points |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan (Elusive City x Our Diva) | 8 |
| Ms Keeper (Keeper x Hikutaia Special) | 7 |
| Scarlet Vanhara (Van Nistelrooy x Fiddle De De) | 7 |
| Bellalini (Bertolini x Rosa Bella) | 3 |
| Bird (Danasinga x Quiescent) | 3 |
| Platinum Zana (Noverre x Fanfare) | 3 |
| Bent (Align x I'm Tess) | 1 |
| Full Pitch (Stay Tuned x Kartia) | 1 |
The last race in the Series, the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) will be run on 18 April at Riccarton.