Black Type for Ethereal Grand-Daughter

Regally bred mare Supera added some valuable black-type to her impressive pedigree page when placing in the Group II Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The Savabeel four-year-old is the granddaughter of four-time Group One winner Ethereal and the half-sister to dual Group three-winning mare Eleonora.

Bred and owned by Sir Peter Vela, Supera has won four of her nine starts and her connections believe she has the potential to add a Group One scalp to her record.

"We always knew she had a lot of ability, from day one she's had that x-factor," said Ken Kelso, who trains in partnership with his wife Bev and Mark Donoghue.

"Her temperament has always been a little issue for her, that's why she has only had nine starts. We have taken our time with her and we're fortunate the owners have allowed us to do that.

"It was great to get the Group Two placing on Saturday, it has made her as a broodmare. That was the plan of going there."

Kelso said Supera will now be targeted towards weight-for-age and set-weight and penalties races, with her next target earmarked as the Gr.3 T ui - backing a winner since 1889 Anniversary (1600m) at Trentham next month.

"We knew we threw her in the deep end (on Saturday) and we'd get hammered with rating points, which we have, but you don't get many handicap races in New Zealand anyway now.

"Her (summer) path will be running in the anniversary at Wellington which is set-weight and penalties, so she will come into that with 53kg.

"We shot ourselves a bit in the foot as far as handicap racing is concerned, but she is stakes placed now, and being such a valuable broodmare, that's all that counts really."

Supera went up 15 rating points for her Group Two placing and is now rated 90.

Kelso said jockey Jason Waddell has a big opinion of the mare after hopping off her back on Saturday.

"Jason got off and said she's definitely Group One material, you have to take that onboard," he said.