Late Christmas present for Auret

Trainer Fraser Auret produced promising three-year-old filly Not Santa to win at Otaki yesterday and has lofty targets for the daughter of Makfi.

Ridden by Johnathan Parkes, Not Santa closed too well for Lady In Lace to notch her second win from three starts.

“She’s a promising type and we had her full brother Matchbreaker who’s up in Hong Kong these days,’’ Auret said. “It’s a really good running family.

“We’ll perhaps look at the Group Three (Desert Gold Stakes, 1600m) on Saturday week at Wellington. We’ll just see how she pulls up. She’s really bred to be an Oaks filly. We can only be excited at this stage.”

Meanwhile, Cambridge trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman sent a team of two to Otaki yesterday with Not Usual June breaking her maiden in the Gardner Homes (1200m) at the fourth time of asking.

The three-year-old filly got the better of the well-supported Press Release over the concluding stages to win narrowly.

“I thought she’d come to the end of her run 200m out, but things were probably in her favour when the favourite was three-deep without cover and that told the last little bit,” Forsman said. “She was more here as a travelling mate for the two-yearold (Rhaegar), to help him out.’’

Rhaegar started a $2.90 favourite in the Kapiti Signs (800m) twoyear-old event but was a well beaten fifth behind the impressive winner Trifolium with stablemate Miss Sweet Pee providing Marton trainer Fraser Auret with the quinella.