Eulogy Stakes Attracts Smart Fillies

Saturday's Robertson Motors Eulogy Stakes ($40,000, 1600m) at Manawatu has attracted a classy field of fillies, contesting not only for the Gr.3 win, but also for the prestigious title of 2002-03 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.

Trainer John Wheeler has 3 good contenders in the field, Jetset Lass (Jetball x Midnight Lass), Kissinkin (Thunder Gulch x Cousins) & Optical Illusion (Danasinga x Sriwijaya). All three have had wins, although Kissinkin has the most impressive recent form, winning both of her last 2 starts and a barrier draw of 7 should give her every opportunity to figure in the finish.

Mike Moroney and Andrew Scott have 2 runners in the field, Baileys On Ice (O'Reilly x Cr�me Anglaise) and Gypsy Babe (Blues Traveller x Console). Baileys On Ice with 2 wins, her most recent as an early 3YO, and Gypsy Babe, who with only 3 starts has a win and place under her belt, indicating that she too could be a competitive contender.

In the race for the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year title, two fillies who have already made headway on the points table are the Murray Baker trained Savuka (Royal Academy x Misty Baby) and Paul O'Sullivan trained Florida (Pompeii Court x Miss Daytona). Savuka has 1.5 points and Florida has 1 point.

The current points table for the 2002-03 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year is as follows

The Jewel 12
Volksini 10.5
Chestpeak 7
Danceinthesun 6
Molly Dot Com 6
Country Class 3
Original Sin 2
Midnight Call 1.5
Savuka 1.5
Florida 1

The points available for Saturday's race are
1st � 6 points
2nd � 3 points
3rd � 1.5 points

For more information on the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series please contact Taryn Bax at New Zealand Bloodstock on (09) 298 0055 email: [email protected] , or view the New Zealand Bloodstock website, where the series is updated after each race.