Silhouette shades her rivals
Former southerner Silhouette Noire showed her penchant for left-handed racing when she turned her form around at Te Rapa.
The five-year-old tailed the field home at her previous appearance in the Listed Tauranga Classic but trainer Lee Somervell was expecting major improvement from the mare yesterday.
‘‘She’s still got to prove that she can handle the right-handed way of going,’’ the Cambridge horseman said.
‘‘She became unbalanced at Tauranga from the 800 metre mark and into the straight and Trudy didn’t knock her around so she freshened up nicely for this.’’
Thornton was again in the saddle at Te Rapa where she stalked the pacemaker before staying closer to the rail into the straight and Silhouette Noire responded gamely to claim a narrow victory.
A daughter of Dane Shadow, Silhouette Noire began her career with Terri Rae at Riccarton and won five races and was placed in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes before she joined Somervell’s team in the hunt for further black type.
That hasn’t happened yet but she has now added two wins to her record since the move, having also won at Te Rapa in April.
Silhouette Noire is raced by Christchurch beauty therapy entrepreneur Anne Marie de Spa and her husband Charles Hall.
‘‘They are lovely people and I met them the first time I went down for the Coupland’s Mile with Addictive Habit,’’ Somervell said. ‘‘She’s a magnificent-looking mare with a lovely attitude.’’
Shaune Ritchie put black-type ambitions on hold when 2-yearold Bella Gioia was beaten on debut.
The Cambridge trainer went back to the drawing board after things went wrong in her Boxing Day debut against a strong Ellerslie field.
The Swiss Ace filly had won a trial easily in September and another before Christmas which encouraged hopes of a Karaka Million start.
Her defeat quashed those hopes and she was sent for a break.
Her trainer’s patience was rewarded at Te Rapa yesterday when the Swiss Ace filly scampered away from a strong juvenile field. Her supporters were also rewarded with the winner punted solidly, opening as long at $9.50 before closing at $4.80.
‘‘I hope someone got some,’’ Ritchie said. ‘‘I did express my high opinion of her to the owners and the odd stable client and suggested if they were partial to a bet they should have one.’’
Bigger pay days could be in store for the $60,000 Karaka yearling purchase for owners Dominic Li, and well-known commentator George Simon and his wife Maryanne.
She will now be out out for a spell.