Volpe Veloce Remains Unbeaten in Eulogy Stakes

Foxwedge filly Volpe Veloce extended her unbeaten record to five wins from five starts and picked up her first points in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series when she won today’s $70,000 Group 3 LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Awapuni.

Four dominant wins in her first four starts had stamped the Graham Richardson-trained filly as a leading contender for Filly of the Year honours, but Saturday’s race was her Series debut. She was late-scratched from the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September following an incident in the starting gates, and a series of setbacks ruled her out of a shot at last month’s Group 1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

But while she was late to join the Series, Volpe Veloce wasted no time in making an impact. Rider Johnathan Parkes got her to settle in fourth place for most of the 1600-metre contest before peeling out to make her bid in the home straight

Front-running pair Rip Into Ghia (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) and Storytime (NZ) (Savabeel) fought back strongly and made the favourite work hard for her victory, but Volpe Veloce’s class shone through and she edged home by a length and a half. Rip Into Ghia held second by neck from Storytime.

Volpe Veloce, who was purchased by Richardson for $240,000 at the 2015 Premier Sale, has now won twice at stakes level. She claimed the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) in June. She has earned more than $93,000 in prize-money for her owners D and C Adams, H Allender, K Anderson, M Chubb, P Dixon, R Featherstone, G Mackin, G Richardson, K and L Robinson, M Skilling, P Spiers, B Wong and K Woodmass.

Saturday’s win earned Volpe Veloce 6 points in the Filly of the Year Series, pushing her up into equal third place on the table alongside Gold Trail winner Honey Rider (NZ) (Pins). Rip Into Ghia and Storytime also move on to the table with 3 points and 1.5 points respectively.

The first two places on the leader board are occupied by the first two finishers in the gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas – La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think) has 12 points and Bella Gioia (NZ) (Swiss Ace) has 7.