For one filly among a star-studded line-up for the Group One Barneswood Farm 48th New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, Saturday’s $300,000 feature will be a giant step towards the coveted title of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.
The prestigious 1000 Guineas is the third leg of the NZB Filly of the Year Series, and it is worth a game-changing 12 points to the winner.
De La Terre (NZ) (Reliable Man) heads into Saturday’s race as the co-leader of the 2020-21 Filly of the Year Series, having earned 6 points with her last-start victory in the Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa. She shares the lead with fellow Group Three winner Miss Aotearoa (NZ) (Per Incanto), who is missing the 1000 Guineas due to injury.
Sweet Anna (NZ) (Tavistock), Kahma Lass (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Tokorangi (NZ) (Redwood) are the others in Saturday’s field with points to their name, earning 3 points, 3 points and 1.5 points respectively with Group Three placings through the first two legs of the Series.
Cornflower Blue (NZ) (Savabeel) and Vitesse Bo (NZ) (Proisir) are both last-start Group Three winners against male three-year-olds, while Matchmaker (NZ) (Makfi) won at Listed level earlier in the spring and Tinker McPhee (Nostradamus) was a fast-finishing third in last month’s Group Two Sarten Memorial (1400m).
Kelly Renee (NZ) (Vespa) was a Group One placegetter last season, while Embers (NZ) (Darci Brahma) has placed at black-type level this spring.
In addition to its 12 points to the winner, the 1000 Guineas is worth 7 points for second and 3.5 points for third.
The Barneswood Farm 1000 Guineas will be run as Race 8 at Riccarton on Saturday, with a start time of 2:56pm.
