Starspangledbanner - New Winner

Bluebloods, boom youngsters and fairytales are among G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 Thousand Guineas nominations with 119 colts and geldings, plus 106 fillies vying for victory in these iconic spring three year-old features.   

A week after the NZB Filly of the Year Series roared to life with the Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) in the North Island, the spotlight shifts south with the launch of the prestigious NZB Southern Filly of the Year Series.

Vinery Stud’s Star Turn was identified in a Breednet story earlier this year as a sire that is on the rise in Hong Kong and he started the new season with a winning double at Happy Valley on Wednesday evening.

At the recent stallion parades in Victoria one of the sires that really jumped out on type was Lovatsville based Fierce Impact (Jpn), a triple Group I winner in Australia that was seen at his very best winning the Group I VRC Makybe Diva Stakes in 2020.

There’s a burgeoning rivalry brewing between Te Akau Racing fillies Belle Du Monde and Cool Aza Rene, and that will continue at Riccarton Park on Saturday in the Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m).

Chris Waller Racing have today confirmed their slot for this year’s $20million Everest will be filled by five year-old Zoustar mare Joliestar, who is set to resume in the Group II ATC Sheraco Stakes at Rosehill this Saturday.

A lookalike for his sire Star Turn, this Ciaron Maher trained colt made a winning debut at Seymour on Thursday as a hot favourite.

The $350,000 Group II MRC Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday had a hot favourite in My Gladiola, who was looking to repeat her brilliant debut victory in the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview last month, but she came up short when overpowered by Starspangledbanner filly Palm Angel.

Fledgling Victorian stallion farm Lovatsville have continued their strategic partnership with the Australian Trainer’s Association (ATA) in an initiative that is designed to support trainers through a series of stallion nominations aligned to upcoming races in regional Victoria this Spring.

The Listed MRC Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday featured colts and fillies with the girls coming out on top as Rosemont Stud’s homebred Starspangledbanner filly Palm Angel was too nippy for the late closing Wootton Bassett (GB) filly Wiltshire Square.