Ellerslie Carnival Brings Major Moves in NZB Filly of the Year

Media Release - Monday December 23

The festive season marks a pivotal point in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, with two of the 10 legs taking place at Ellerslie within the space of a week – each one worth 8 points to the winner.

Jennifer Eccles is looking to cast off maiden status in style!

Jennifer Eccles is looking to cast off maiden status in style!

First up is Thursday’s $100,000 Group Two SkyCity Eight Carat Classic (1600m), which in recent years has been won by eventual Filly of the Year winners Katie Lee (Pins), Planet Rock (Fastnet Rock), Fix (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Queen of Diamonds (NZ) (Savabeel).

This year’s field is headed by Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), who sits in second place on the leaderboard with 7 points.

Although she is still a maiden, Jennifer Eccles has placed in three stakes races, starting with a third in last season’s Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m).

She began her Filly of the Year Series campaign with a fourth in the first leg, the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings, behind Aretha (NZ) (Charm Spirit), Bavella (Snitzel) and the current table-topper Loire (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice).

After a third in the Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), Jennifer Eccles stepped up to Group One level and charged home for a close second in the gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), just a long neck behind Loire.

Jennifer Eccles trails Loire by 6.5 points in the Filly of the Year Series race, and she will move to the top of the table if she can win the Eight Carat Classic. Champion Sydney-based Kiwi jockey James McDonald takes the ride.

Advertisement

The field also features last-start Listed winner Two Illicit (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), plus stakes placegetters Showoroses (NZ) (Showcasing), Manchu (Redoute’s Choice), Familia (NZ) (Makfi), Showbeel (NZ) (Savabeel), Aalaalune (NZ) (Reliable Man) and Tears of Jupiter (Zoustar).

Manchu features on the Filly of the Year table with 3 points, while Showbeel has 1.5.

Along with the 8 points available to the winner, the runner-up in the Eight Carat Classic will earn 4 points and the third placegetter will collect 2 points.

The SkyCity Eight Carat Classic will be run as Race 7 on Thursday with a start time of 4:05pm.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Bred to be Good - So You Think x More Joyous
It sounds like a match made in heaven, a colt by two time Cox Plate winning sire So You Think from eight time Group I winner More Joyous, and this 2YO is slated to make his debut in New Zealand this weekend,  
G1 July Cup Shock Result
The July Summer Festival meeting at Newmarket continued overnight with the Group I July Cup (6f) for the sprinters producing a complete blow out result, while the Group II Superlative Stakes (7f) for 2YO’s was won by a Godolphin homebred from the family of their Aussie G1 star Zardozi.
Champion Honours To Voyage Bubble At Hong Kong Awards
Held on Friday night in the Grand Ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong, Torryburn Stud’s home bred Champion Voyage Bubble secured two awards at the prestigious Hong Kong Horse of the Year Awards for the 2024/25 racing season.
Hot Bandit Living the Big Dance Dream
Sebring Sun is one of those stallions budget conscious breeders will consider closely this spring with nearly 70% winners to runners making people sit up and take notice and one of those winners is Hot Bandit, who won the $70,000 Narrandera Showcase Cup on Sunday.
Melbourne Racing Club Unveils Major Spring Racing Enhancements
Racing Victoria has confirmed prize money allocations for the 2025-2026 season and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has announced some exciting race program changes and prizemoney increases that, together with other great initiatives at Flemington and Moonee Valley, reinforce the position of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival at the forefront of international racing.
Famed Arcadia Family Produces New SW for Peters
New Zealand-bred three-year-old Arcadia Park passed his first black-type test with flying colours in the A$125,000 Listed Aquanita Stakes (2019m) at Bunbury on Saturday becoming the latest stakes-winner for the famed 'Arcadia' family nurtured by Bob Peters.
Proven Combination - In Flight Wins G3 Sir John Monash Stakes
What more can be said about the combination of trainer Joe Pride, Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds and Kerrie Tibbey’s Goodwood Farm as talented sprinting mare In Flight (Flying Artie) won the $200,000 Group 3 MRC Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.
Lonhro Sireline Delivers Oaks Queen Fancy Red
Lonhro son Sessions is riding a hot streak with two stakes winners in eight days after his three year-old filly Fancy Red lit up a gloomy day at Bunbury with an outstanding last to first victory to win the Listed Belmont Oaks (2019m) going away.
Justify Strikes at Newmarket with New G3 Winner
The Group III Bahrain Trophy Stakes ((1m5f) at Newmarket overnight produced a runaway winner in Scandinavia and while his sire Justify no longer shuttles to Australia, two of his sons will be on the roster at Coolmore this spring in City of Troy (IRE) and Storm Boy.
Fillies and Mares Star at Newmarket July - Royal Ascot Form on Show
If you followed Royal Ascot last month and have an interest in the big Newmarket July summer meeting unfolding at present then you would have see the major filly and mare feature winners overnight came via Royal Ascot.