Robbie Patterson unveiled a star three-year-old at Wednesday’s New Plymouth meeting last year, and 12 months down the track, another daughter of Derryn made a sparkling debut on his home track.
That filly was Leica Lucy, who won six of her seven starts, five of those at Group level, for Patterson including the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) before joining Chris Waller’s barn in Sydney. This spring she added placings in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) and Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) to her burgeoning record.
This year, it was the turn of The Dirty Dee, who presented beautifully for the Entain/NZB Insurance Series Fillies and Mares (1400m) and performed accordingly. Patterson had been wary of the Good 3 surface after the filly had trialled well on rain-affected ground, but punters were behind her, backing her into odds-on favouritism ahead of La Cadiere.
One of the outsiders in Volente dislodged jockey Toni Davies as the gates opened but the field got away clear of that runner, The Dirty Dee showing good early speed under Craig Grylls who was content in sitting in the trail of leader La Luna.
A gap opened for Grylls at the top of the straight and the filly skipped through, kicking clear of her rivals at the 200m and continuing to extend that margin to the line, the final margin 3–¼ lengths to La Cadiere.
Patterson reminisced on the feats of Leica Lucy post-race, with a hope that The Dirty Dee could be on a similar trajectory this term.
“She’s a Derryn, and I won this race last year with a horse called Leica Lucy in her first start and she won this race like this as well, so hopefully I’ve got another one,” he said.
“They were both unassuming, lovely horses and I loved the way she presented today and her demeanour. I knew she had ability and I think Gryllsy will give us a pretty good wrap.
“It’s always unknown going to the races and I’d watched Ben’s (Foote) horse (La Cadiere) and it’s shown a lot of ability as well, so you never know, but she’s obviously a lovely filly.
“It’s a bit like Leica Lucy really, just get through today and then target the three-year-old fillies races with her. She’ll get a mile because she’s so relaxed, there’s good races coming up and any shower of rain would help her.
“I definitely think she is (good enough for black-type).”
As expected, Grylls had plenty of praise for the filly who had been ultra-professional in her first raceday appearance.
“She was very impressive, she jumped well and there was good speed, so I elected to take a sit,” he said. “I was lucky that the one outside the leader was hanging a bit and I was able to get away, then I didn’t have to go for her too much.
“She’s really kicked away, so she’s quite exciting at this stage. She’s having a good puff too, so whatever she’s done she’ll improve from.
“She felt good on the track which is getting pretty firm now, it didn’t seem to worry her too much. A bit of give wouldn’t her hurt either.
“She’s very tractable for a green horse having her first start, she did everything lovely.”
Bred and raced by Eddie and Nicola Bourke and Allan Piercy, The Dirty Dee is the third winner of three horses to race out of the O’Reilly mare The Duchessa.
Each trained by Patterson, The Dutch Dame was a two-race winner, while The Mistress won three from just nine starts. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
