A week after the NZB Filly of the Year Series kicked off in Hawke’s Bay, the South Island’s finest fillies get their first turn in the spotlight in Saturday’s $80,000 Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton Park.
The Canterbury Belle Stakes is the first of four legs in the NZB Southern Filly of the Year Series, and it will be followed later in the season by the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m), the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) and the Listed NZB Warstep Stakes (2000m).
Each race is worth 7 points for first, with 4 for second and 2 for third, with the eventual winner receiving an insurance policy from NZB Insurance to the value of $50,000 plus GST. The winning filly’s connections will also be presented with the NZB Southern Filly of the Year trophy during the South Island Racing Awards in September of next year. Previous winners of the prestigious Southern Filly Series include the subsequent multiple Group One winners Final Touch (NZ) (Kashani) and Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel).
A classy group of contenders for this season’s Southern Filly title will showcase their credentials in the Canterbury Belle Stakes on Saturday, including the proven black-type performers Dream of the Moon (All Too Hard), Raziah (NZ) (Niagara) and Lil Zena (NZ) (U S Navy Flag), along with impressive race winners Diablo Blanco (NZ) (Super Seth), The Victress (Zoustain), About Last Night (NZ) (Capitalist), Connello (NZ) (Time Test) and Great Time (NZ) (Time Test).
The NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes will be run as Race 7 at Riccarton Park on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 3.58pm.
