Fillies have look of class
IT has been said recently and we hope to keep saying it — the gallopers coming through the ranks now take our racing to a different level.
If you need proof, look at the juvenile winners at Pukekohe on Saturday and Te Rapa yesterday.
Debut 2yolds at this time of year can often win by margins because of the inexperience of the opposition, but that was not the case of Melt at Pukekohe and She’s A Thief yesterday.
Both fillies look to have group 1winning style.
The final 200m sprint Melt produced for rider Michael McNab and trainer Nigel Tiley was nothing short of astounding. There is no mystery where the Iffraaj filly gets the strength for that — Melt has a magnificent deep and powerful shoulder, physicality that blends beautifully with the extreme talent her trainer has always admired.
Tiley was interviewed prerace. Unable to say ‘‘I think this is a good thing’’ because no trainer wants to put their head that far into the lion’s mouth, he said if there was not a coming superstar in the field, Melt would be ‘‘right there’’.
Melt, a daughter of Pegasus Stakes winner Ticklish, was definitely right there, but the opposition was three and aquarter lengths away.
‘‘Her work on Tuesday was better than any 2yrold I’ve trained,’’ Tiley said later.
Because she was bred by her owner, Melt is not a Karaka Million horse, but she will take plenty of beating on whatever path the stable sets her on.
She’s A Thief’s win yesterday was remarkable. She tended to overrace in what was her debut and the fear was she would expend too much energy. No such luck for the opposition — when Jake Bayliss released the brakes at the 375m, the Showcasing filly put just a touch less than five lengths on the field.
The impressive feature of these wins is that there was plenty of class behind both fillies.
Because so many of New Zealand’s colts are sold either at yearling auctions or as made horses to Asia or Australia, fillies and mares play a major role on our racing scene. The first three home in Saturday’s Auckland Breeders Stakes — Sensible Princess, Francaletta and Coldplay — all have major futures and Love Affair’s effort to win a slightly lesser race was outstanding.
Ripley at Te Rapa showed in winning a maiden at his second start that he has much potential. A big, rangy Rip Van Winkle type he looks a fair way from the physical racehorse he may one day become.
No pun intended, but believe it or not, Ripley is the first horse we have noticed that dishes the nearside foreleg as significantly as Sunline used to. No problem, Sunline won $13 million with hers. — NZME