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Under-rated mare Sacred Pearl has taken her career earnings past $200,000 with back-to-back wins in feature staying races this spring, including Saturday’s Mode Technology Feilding Cup (2100m) at Trentham.
The daughter of Sacred Falls hit a new career high with her last-start win in the Egmont Cup (2100m) at Hawera on October 5, and she continued that upward trajectory with another outstanding performance in Saturday's $80,000 feature.
Sacred Pearl was again partnered by visiting Australian jockey Harry Grace, who rode her for the first time in the Egmont Cup last month. The seven-year-old mare settled in fifth place on Saturday as the bunched-up field of six made their way around the Trentham circuit in a battle of tactics.
Favourite Donnybrook was the first to make a move, sneaking through along the inside to go from last to first as the field came wide in search of better ground at the home turn.
Donnybrook slowly but surely shook free of the front-running Drop Of Something in the straight, but then Grace brought Sacred Pearl with a well-timed run down the extreme outside of the track. Sacred Pearl clawed her way past Donnybrook, getting up to win by half a length.
"It was a tricky race, but she's a very nice horse," said Grace, who also had an undercard victory with the Cody Cole-trained Rareza.
"The whole idea was to keep her in her rhythm. She got forced out widest on the track in the straight, but she finished it off well."
Sacred Pearl has now had 44 starts for seven wins, 13 placings and $239,765 in stakes for owners Tony and Sharyn Loveridge.
She is trained by Lisa Latta, who has previously won the Feilding Cup with Jonbalena (2008) and Five To Midnight (2018).
"This is her third win at Wellington, so she goes well here," Latta said. "I was a bit concerned about how testing the track was today, because she does like it a touch better than this.
"I thought she was in trouble at the 600m, but Harry got her out to the best part of the track and she's finished it off well.
"She's in great form and seems to be holding it, and she's a pretty easy mare to train. Harry has ridden her a treat again today.
"She does hold a nomination for the New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m). I'll have a good talk to her owners and figure out whether that's a race we should target with her."
The TAB currently rates Sacred Pearl a $16 chance for the New Zealand Cup. Nest Egg heads that market at $5, followed by Aljay ($6), Canheroc ($8), Kattegat ($10) and Mehzebeen ($12).