The Gift (NZ) Breaks Through in NZB Insurance Stakes

With a richly deserved Listed victory in Saturday’s $50,000 NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui, quality filly The Gift (NZ) (Power) capped a consistent run of big-race performance and took an equal lead in the 2020-21 New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series.

The Gift’s tenacious and classy performance earned her 7 points from the second leg of the Series, soaring straight to the top of the table alongside Matchmaker (NZ) (Makfi), who won the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton in October.

The Gift finished sixth in that Canterbury Belle Stakes in the spring, but she has blossomed over the subsequent five months. 

She won a maiden race by six lengths at Wingatui at the beginning of November, then beat a quality three-year-old field during the New Zealand Cup carnival at Riccarton a week later.

Another Wingatui win followed before stepping up to stakes level, where The Gift finished second in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and second in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m). In her final start before Saturday, she was a luckless sixth in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m).

Racing luck deserted The Gift this time too, finding herself trapped three wide during the early stages of the NZB Insurance Stakes. 
But jockey Jacob Lowry began to push forward coming up to the home turn, and The Gift kicked strongly at the top of the straight to take a clear advantage.

Larpower (NZ) (Power) produced a potent finish to eat into the margin, but The Gift was well out of her reach and won by a length and three-quarters.

“We ended up being caught a little wide, but I managed to drop in and get a breather just before the pace really went on,” Lowry told NZ Racing Desk.

“Once she got that, she just travelled beautifully. I think anyone watching the race wouldn’t have wanted to be on anything else turning for home. She had them covered and did it pretty easily in the end.”

The Gift was bred by former Cambridge Stud owners Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan, and she is trained by Robert Dennis at Woodlands. 

Raced by a big group of owners that includes the Robbie’s Racers Trudy Syndicate, Blue Khaki Syndicate and Engaged in Racing Syndicate, the classy chestnut has had 12 starts for four wins, four placings and $82,800 in stakes.

“She is one tough filly and she showed that again today,” Dennis said. “She has now had four starts in three weeks, all at black-type level, and she is thriving.

“She didn’t get the best run today, but thankfully Jacob managed to get a breather for her at just the right time. When he asked her to go, she put a couple of lengths on them and held on very comfortably.”

Runner-up Larpower completed a black-type quinella for the former Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Power.

This was a first taste of defeat for Larpower, who had won both of her previous race starts and all four of her trials. She has now earned $27,650 in her three-start career, and she picked up 4 NZB Southern Filly Series points with Saturday’s performance.

The third placegetter was the winner’s stablemate Ocean Point (NZ) (Ocean Park), who has had eight starts for two wins, a black-type placing and $28,750 in stakes. She earned 2 NZB Southern Filly Series points on Saturday.

The NZB Southern Filly of the Year Series will now return to Riccarton for the remaining two legs – the $50,000 Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) on April 10, and the $50,000 Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) on April 24.