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Filly brings plenty of joy in Royal Stakes

3 minute read

Promising filly She Brings Joy chose an opportune moment to break her maiden status when she underlined her staying potential with an impressive performance to capture the Gr. 2 Stella Artois Royal Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie.

She Brings Joy
She Brings Joy Picture: Trish Dunell

The three-year-old Sebring filly had hinted a step up in distance would suit when finishing on well for sixth over 1600 metres in the Gr. 2 Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day. Settled back in the running that day, rider Danielle Johnson changed her tactics this time as she sat the handsome chestnut filly in the trail throughout as Adis set a slow pace out in front.

Adis was set alight entering the home straight which allowed Johnson to extricate She Brings Joy from the trail and she set out after the leader who had established a healthy break. Johnson was at her vigorous best as she lifted She Brings Joy at the line to snatch victory by a nose from a game Adis with Grand Soleil running on strongly to nab third.

Trainer Stephen Marsh was full of praise for the effort when questioned after the race.

“I rode her that hard in the last furlong that with me on top I didn’t know if I had got her beat,” he laughed.

“I can’t believe this horse was still a maiden. She’s been probably our most promising maiden for a long time.

“I thought she’d win first up and then second up but it’s just those bad draws that have plagued us. Finally today she drew a barrier.”

Marsh is already thinking ahead for the filly who brought up his second successive victory in the event having scored with Sofia Rosa last year.

“She’ll have a little break now as we’ve given it to her a bit,” he advised.

“She has got a nomination for the Oaks so that’s our real focus now.”

Marsh will be hoping the filly can go one better than stablemate Sofia Rosa who was relegated to second in the 2016 edition of the Gr. 1 New Zealand Oaks before going on to capture the Gr. 1 Australian Oaks later in the season.

She Brings Joy is bred and raced by Valachi Downs principal Kevin Hickman who will offer a half brother by Savabeel as Lot 212 during the Premier session of the National Yearling Sale that will get underway at Karaka later in the month.


NZ Racing News

Ellerslie

Sunday, 01st January 2017

4
14:34
(local)

Royal Stakes (G2)

Age: 3yo Sex: F Type: OPEN
NZD $100,000
2000m TURF GOOD
4
14:34
(local)
NZD $100,000
2000m GOOD

Royal Stakes (G2)

Age: 3yo Sex: F Type: OPEN

This was not a very strong G2 3yo filly field at all with maidens filling the first four positions across the line. The winner She Brings Joy however looks to have upside galore and is untapped for the autumn. She got her best barrier lifetime today so far and got a nice trail the inner then was held up early the run home before getting into clear air. Her sustained finish saw a half head win in the very slow time 2:07.25 to record a first win and it came at G2. She may be by Sebring but looks like and races like a stayer so the G1 NZ Oaks is on the radar at the moment. Adis led up and almost stole it after being let get away with murder in front as when she sprinted the run home it left rivals flat to the floorboards to pick up and pursue her. Grand Soleil sat midfield the outer and kept coming to reach fourth at the 200m before getting third at the post and the valuable G2 placing on the resume. Drive Force sat fifth or sixth the inner and reach third at the 200m only to lose that position on the line. Nicoletta was seen running on late for fifth and was a length and threequarters from the winner at the post. Avec Moi was okay when sixth but beaten over three lengths while Glass Slipper that ran clear favourite as a maiden, was an ordinary sixth beaten over four lengths. She showed no pop or ping the run home and it is either the ground was too firm or she cannot run middle distance or may need a freshen up and did not back up from Boxing Day less than a week later. Angeline was poor but looks a stayer that was flat-footed in a sprint home event so she deserves another chance when next seen out. Arctic Miss was outclassed but has a maiden win in her at the right track while Madam Monica may not be a middle distance type as her dam was a sprinter. She may have been feeling the ground too and needs some cushion or cut so like a few flops in this give one more chance. This race was nowhere near G2 standard and in fact would struggle to be Listed level with so many maidens and just three single race winners in it. The winner however She Brings Joy has the physique and will to win of the one that will score a lot more times.



FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 11. SHE BRINGS JOY (NZ) 3yo F
SEBRING (AUS) - IN THE MOOD (IRE)
DANIELLE JOHNSON
STEPHEN MARSH
$6.2
56.5kg
K J Hickman
2nd 9. ADIS (NZ) 3yo F
MASTERCRAFTSMAN (IRE) - DE LA VERE (NZ)
CAMERON LAMMAS
DONNA LOGAN
$20
56.5kg
L S Dye, L J Green & R A Verry

Sales Information

3rd 10. GRAND SOLEIL (NZ) 3yo F
SAVABEEL (AUS) - GRETCHEN (NZ)
MICHAEL MCNAB
TONY PIKE
$20.7
56.5kg
W G Bax, Mrs H Bax, R C Bax, J H Bongard, P Brockett, B J Nowell, Grand Soleil Syn (Mgr: M R Sixton), M R Sixton, M L Malaghan, V J Murdoch, B R Green, D H Sixton, K G Breckon, D Thompson, C D S Sixton, Mrs K Sixton, Dr T S Whitehead, A Harrowell & M Stone
4th 8. DRIVEN FORCE (NZ) 3yo F
ROAD TO ROCK (AUS) - BARADEVI (NZ)
VINNIE COLGAN
ROGER JAMES
$13.3
56.5kg

Sales Information

5th 4. NICOLETTA (NZ) 3yo F
SAVABEEL (AUS) - CELTIC CROWN (USA)
MICHAEL COLEMAN
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$4.2
56.5kg

Sales Information

6th 5. AVEC MOI (NZ) 3yo F
POUR MOI (IRE) - FUJI BELLE (AUS)
CRAIG GRYLLS
MICHAEL MORONEY & PAM GERARD
$37
56.5kg

Sales Information

7th 2. GLASS SLIPPER (NZ) 3yo F
PINS (AUS) - FAIRY TALE (NZ)
LEITH INNES
LANCE O'SULLIVAN & ANDREW SCOTT
$3.9
56.5kg

Sales Information

8th 3. ANGELINE (NZ) 3yo F
CAPE BLANCO (IRE) - MEGAPINS (NZ)
MARK DU PLESSIS
SHAUNE RITCHIE
$5.2
56.5kg

Sales Information

9th 12. ARCTIC MISS (NZ) 3yo F
BACHELOR DUKE (USA) - SNOWED IN (NZ)
ALYSHA COLLETT
GRAEME SANDERS
$77.8
56.5kg

Sales Information

10th 7. MADAM MONICA (NZ) 3yo F
MASTERCRAFTSMAN (IRE) - LYNISKY (NZ)
OPIE BOSSON
STEPHEN AUTRIDGE
$7.6
56.5kg

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