Filly of the Year Series Leader Returns to the Fray

Media Release - Thursday January 18

The NZB Filly of the Year Series continues on Saturday with the sixth leg, the $70,000 Group 3 Metroclad-Terracade Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham, and it features the return of table-topper Dijon Bleu (NZ) (Burgundy).

Dijon Bleu - Trish Dunnell The Lisa Latta-trained filly has led the Series from the start, winning the first leg – Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September. She then finished second in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1550m), lifting her total to 16 points.

Dijon Bleu will maintain her Series lead regardless of Saturday's result, with 6 points available to the winner and her nearest rival in the field, The Lustre (NZ) (Darci Brahma), sitting on 3.5.

Larima(NZ) (Pour Moi) was a fast-finishing fourth in the Eulogy andSandrine(NZ) (Savabeel) finished seventh in the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic, while the rest of the Desert Gold field will make their Filly of the Year Series debut.

They include a number of impressive last-start winners such asSwiss Precision(NZ) (Swiss Ace),Milseain(NZ) (Tavistock) andRondinella(NZ) (Ocean Park).

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In addition to the 6 points on offer to the Desert Gold Stakes winner, there are 3 points for second and 1.5 for third.

The Metroclad-Terracade Desert Gold Stakes will be run as Race 8 at Trentham on Saturday, with a start time of 4.22pm.

NZB Release

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