Loire sets hearts fluttering with classy show

Despite displaying some wayward tendencies over the closing stages Cambridge filly Loire stamped her class in emphatic style as she took out the Group I New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) on Saturday.

The Tony Pike-trained threeyear-old had been to the forefront of discussions in the weeks leading up to the Riccarton feature before a below par effort in the Group III Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie last month.

A vet inspection revealed the Redoute’s Choice filly had suffered a heart fibrillation with Pike confident she would still be able to show her best as he pressed on to the Group I feature for breeders Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud, who share in the ownership with Kate

Plaw.

Left alone by punters, who rallied behind her stablemate Kali and the unbeaten Travelling Light, Loire overcame a slow start and a muddling pace to charge into a challenging position halfway down the long Riccarton home straight.

Just as rider Michael McNab looked to have her cruising to a comfortable win, Loire took a hard turn to the left which cost her some forward momentum. McNab gathered her up and returned her to a level course to the winning post which she reached half a length to the good of a game runner-up in Jennifer Eccles, with Travelling Light resolute in third after making the early running.

Pike was delighted to secure the major spoils in the contest after going within a nose of victory with Waterford in 2012, especially after the filly’s disappointing effort and subsequent diagnosis at her last start.

‘‘Ellerslie was a real mystery as her two runs at Hawke’s Bay over 1200m, a distance too short for her, were very, very good,’’ Pike said. ‘‘We always thought this was the race but when you have those heart problems, they can be one-offs which we hoped was the case when the tests came back all clear.’’