Southern Filly Series Resumes at Wingatui
2 March 2017
After a summer hiatus, the New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series resumes with nine fillies set to do battle in the $50,000 Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui on Saturday.
The first leg of the Series was the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) in September, won impressively by La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think) who leads the Series with 7 points. That filly went on to win the Group 1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and last weekend took out the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1600m) in Sydney.
Starvoia (Starcraft) sits in second place on the points table, and with La Diosa absent, she is poised to take the lead if she wins or runs second tomorrow.
No other runner in the field currently has Series points to their name, but several of them bring strong credentials into the race. Residential (NZ) (Pins) has won the Listed Dunedin Guineas and Southland Guineas in her last two starts, while What Choux Want (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), Dezzies Delight (NZ) (Coats Choice) and Dontpokethetiger (Beneteau) are all stakes performers.
Following a four-way tie at the top of the Series leaderboard last year, changes have been made to maximise the chances of the Series determining an outright winner. The potential still remains for tied winners, but that prospect is greatly reduced under the changed format.
The points structure is now 7 for a win, 4 for a second and 2 for a third, replacing the previous format of 7, 3 and 1.
Following tomorrow’s race, the four-race Series continues with the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on April 8, then concludes with the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton on April 22.
Should two or more fillies have equal points following the running of the Warstep Stakes, it will act as ‘a decider’. The following condition now applies to the Series: In the event of two or more fillies having equal points following the running of the fourth and final leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series the filly with the best finishing position in the New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes as determined by the judge and/or any Judicial process will be determined the winner of the Series.
The NZB Insurance Stakes will be run as race 10 on Saturday at 4.24pm.
| # | Horse | Draw | Comments | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1 | Residential | 2 | Part-owned by her breeders Waikato Stud after failing to meet her $60,000 reserve at the 2015 Premier Sale, Residential (NZ) (Pins) has won four of her 10 starts and just under $90,000 in stakes. In her last two appearances she has won the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) by a nose and the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) by four lengths. | John & Karen Parsons | Gosen Jogoo |
| 2 | Starvoia | 8 | Starcraft filly Starvoia has had eight starts for three wins. She has also been placed in four stakes races - second in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m), third in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m), second in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) and second in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m). | John & Karen Parsons | |
| 3 | What Choux Want | 6 | One of last season's leading two-year-old fillies, What Choux Want (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) placed in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) and Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m) and ran fifth in the Karaka Million. She has struggled to recapture that form this season, although she has run fourth in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) and Listed Gore Guineas (1335m). | Andrew Carston | Kylie Williams |
| 4 | Dezzies Delight | 3 | Bred and part-owned by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, Dezzies Delight (NZ) (Coats Choice) is a full-sister to last season's 1000 Guineas placegetter Dezzies Dream (NZ) (Coats Choice). Dezzies Delight has yet to win in six starts, but she has placed in five of them including the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m). | Sabin Kirkland | Leah Hemi |
| 5 | Dontpokethetiger | 9 | Another leading two-year-old filly last season, Dontpokethetiger (Beneteau) placed in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m), Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) and Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m). She has won twice this season and ran fifth in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) and eighth in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m). | Courtney Barnes | Peter Rudkin |
| 6 | Wize Act | 7 | Zacinto filly Wize Act (NZ) has had seven starts for a win and two placings. She has also been close up in strong company, running fourth to Starvoia in a Riccarton sprint and fifth to star filly La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think) in the Canterbury Belle Stakes. | Alysha Collett | Terri Rae |
| 7 | Wonder Woman | 1 | Wonder Woman (NZ) (Showcasing) is the only North Island visitor in the field, sent south from her Matamata base by Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard. She has had 11 starts for a win and three placings. She has had four attempts at stakes level, running seventh in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m), seventh in the Listed Mufhasa Stakes (1300m), sixth in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and seventh in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m). | Michael Moroney & Pam Gerard | Samantha Wynne |
| 8 | Lil Miss Swiss | 4 | Rip Van Winkle filly Lil Miss Swiss (NZ) is the least experienced runner in the field with just one start under her belt. She finished third in that debut appearance, running over 1100 metres at Gore. | Kelvin Tyler | Kevin Kalychurun |
| 9 | Pretty Whaihine | 5 | Pretty Whaihine (NZ) (Coats Choice) has had three starts for two placings - third over 1100 metres at Omakau and third over 1400 metres at Invercargill. | Michael & Nikki White | Shankar Muniandy |