The New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series has a new leader for the first time since December, but Saturday’s $90,000 Group Three McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie gives the former front-runner an immediate right of reply.
The Lowland Stakes was the ninth leg of an 11-race series, and an impressive win by Self Obsession (NZ) (Shocking) propelled her into the lead with 24 points. She leapfrogged her stablemate, long-time leader Belle En Rouge (NZ) (Burgundy), who now sits in second place with 19.
But Belle En Rouge has the chance to strike back in Saturday’s 10th leg, which is worth a potentially decisive 6 points to the winner. The runner-up will receive 3 points, with 1.5 for third.
Belle En Rouge is already a two-time winner during this season’s New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, going back-to-back in the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) in December. She also placed in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), but was tripped up by a wet track when sixth behind Self Obsession in last month’s Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m).
The others in Saturday’s Sunline Vase field with points to their name are Achieve (NZ) (Pierro), Glory Bound (NZ) (Tavistock) and Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh), whose placings in earlier legs have earned them totals of 5, 4 and 3 points respectively. With 12 points available to the winner of the Group One Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) later this month, any of them could still lodge a late challenge at the top end of the points table.
Miss Ella (NZ) (Iffraaj) is another interesting runner in Saturday’s field, winning a maiden race by almost 10 lengths earlier this season and scoring a last-start success in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1600m), while Outfit (NZ) (Tivaci) was a fast-finishing second placegetter in that race.
The McKee Family Sunline Vase will be run as Race 6 on a star-studded card at Ellerslie on Saturday, with a start time of 3.19pm.
