St Germaine Grabs Early Lead in Filly of the Year Series

The hotly contested New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series got off to a flying start on Saturday, with St Germaine's tidy win in the Group 2 Windsor Park Stud Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) securing the three-year-old filly six points and the early lead in the 2009/10 Series.

Settled fifth on the rail by Mark Du Plessis, St Germaine (Keeper x Selenium, by Straight Strike) was asked to follow the fence around the home bend which gave her a handy advantage as many of her competitors chose to go wide on the track rated slow.

Handling the track as well as any of her rivals, St Germaine powered clear of Eileen Dubh (Storm Creek) and Katie Lee (Pins) who picked up three points and one and a half points respectively for their efforts.

St Germaine's winning margin was one and three quarter lengths with the 1200m journey completed in 1.12.77, close to a second faster than the premier mares ran in the race immediately afterwards.

The Windsor Park Stud Gold Trail Stakes is the first event in the ten-race Filly of the Year Series which culminates in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on 20 March 2010.

Last year's Gold Trail saw high class fillies Juice, Daffodil, and Il Quello Veloce fill the first three places and Saturday's winner looks as though she could be headed to similar heights. She will now look to emulate fellow Keeper filly Insouciant by capturing the New Zealand Bloodstock One Thousand Guineas followed by the NZ Filly of the Year crown.

Trainer John Sargent has indicated that his charge will use the Listed James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes at Te Rapa on October 26, a non-Series event, as a lead up to the Canterbury feature which will take place a week later than usual on 14 November.

From six-time winning Straight Strike (Mr Prospector) mare Selenium, St Germaine represents what is proving to be a successful cross, Keeper over Raise a Native-Native Dancer line mares, which is currently producing 10% stakes winners to runners from thirty-three named foals. The other stakes-winner from the cross is last season's Group 3 winning three-year-old colt Millbank (ex Woodini, by Woodman).

The next race in the Series is the Listed Soliloquy Lodge Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie this coming Saturday (26 September) with four points available to the winner.

Click here for the NZB Filly of the Year leader-board.