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The third leg of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series will be run on Saturday with the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes at Awapuni.
This is the third race in the series of ten races, with 14 fillies looking at trying their hand in the Group 3 race at Manawatu Racing Club’s Awapuni Racecourse.
O'Marilyn (O’Reilly) has accumulated six points after winning the first leg of the Series having competed in all of the races so far.
The Stephen McKee trained filly has two Group three wins and a Group one win to her name. O’Marilyn is the only horse in this field with black type victory. She will be jumping from barrier 5 for rider Sam Spratt.
Stablemates Orange Peel (Duke of Marmalade) and Attention Seeker (NZ) (Fast ‘N’ Famous) are both trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott. From Orange Peel’s six starts, she has won two races and placed in three. Rider Hayden Tinsley will be riding from barrier 13. Attention Seeker has been unbeaten in her last two starts and placed in her first two starts. She will have Johnathon Parkes on board for Saturday’s race with a barrier draw of 6.
Breaking her maiden status in her second start was Choice (NZ) (Mastercraftsman). Following her first win she finished second in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie. She will start from barrier 10 for trainer Robert Patterson and rider Vanessa Johnston.
The Stephen Marsh trained Mia’s Choice (NZ) (O’Reilly) has finished first or second in all three of her starts. Winning one of her races at 1200m and placing second in her last race at 1400m, the O’Reilly filly will start from barrier 7 for rider Kelly Myers.
Another horse who has claimed a win and has been placed in all three of her starts is No Tricks (NZ) (Savabeel). Trained by Matamata trainer Jason Bridgman, the Savabeel filly was a winner at Taupo two starts ago and will jump from barrier 9.
Also a winner two starts ago was Outspoken (NZ) (Sufficient), who finished second in her last start over 1600m with her win coming over 1400m. She will be ridden by Shannon Doyle from barrier 2 for trainers Dick & Chris Bothwell.
O’Reilly filly Bohemian Lily (NZ) (O’Reilly), a full-sister to dual Group 1 winning three-year-old Shamrocker, won her last start at Te Rapa for trainer Lance Noble. She will start from barrier 12 for rider Buddy Lammas.
New Zealand’s second leading trainer currently, Lisa Latta, has Dixie Express (NZ) (Thorn Park) set to run in Saturday’s feature race. The Thorn Park filly claimed her first victory at her last run over 1400m at Hastings. Rosie Myers will ride the filly from barrier 4.
Another filly to break her maiden status at her last start is Leviosa (NZ) (Bachelor Duke), winning over 1600m at Matamata. The Robyn & Russell Rogers trained filly has drawn wide in barrier 14.
Sired by Fastnet Rock, Palace Rock (NZ) (Fastnet Rock) will run for Byerley Park trainers Peter & Dawn Williams. Breaking her maiden status at Avondale in November over 1600m , she is one of two fillies to have already won over 1600m. She will have the services of Chris Johnson, beginning from barrier 3.
Just A Lover (NZ) (Perfectly Ready) is trained by Wanganui based Evan & JJ Rayner and has one win from five starts. Darryl Bradley will be aboard, beginning from barrier 11 with the Perfectly Ready filly wearing blinkers for the first time.
The second runner for Lisa Latta is Platinum Command (NZ) (Red Giant), who has only had four starts as a three-year-old has three thirds and a second to her credit. Jockey Jonathan Riddell has drawn barrier 1 with the Red Giant filly.
Rounding out the field is Sharp Choice (NZ) (Guillotine), trained in Matamata by Paul & Kris Shailer. The Guillotine filly has the least experience with only two starts, placing third and fourth at 1400m. Starting from barrier 8 she has Michael McNab riding her with the addition of side winkers.
The winner of the Group 3 LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes will earn 6 points towards the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, second place will earn 3 points and third place will receive 1.5 points. The current leader of the Series is Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas winner Platinum Witness (California Dane).
The Eulogy Stakes is the first leg of the inaugural Wellfield Lodge Triple Crown which consists of the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes, the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes and the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks. If any filly can win all three legs of the Triple Crown they will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Wellfield Lodge.
Points will be awarded in each leg of the Triple Crown and, at the culmination of the Series, the connections of the leading filly will receive a service to Alamosa and the second placed filly will receive a service to Road to Rock, both Wellfield Lodge stallions. The winner of Saturday’s race will receive 3 points, second collecting 2 points and third earning 1 point for the Triple Crown.
