The VRC Oaks runner-up Pavitra will take her place in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes after proving a class above in the Group III Peroni Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) at Kembla Grange on Friday.
Ridden by Chad Schofield for Richard and Will Freedman, Pavitra was caught wide in the early stages, with Schofield electing to press on to sit outside the leader Petersham.
Still with a lapful of horse on straightening, Schofield pressed the button at the 300m and found an immediate response.
The 3yo daughter of American Pharoah (USA) was throttled down in the closing stages to defeat the So You Think filly So Dazzling by four lengths, with the Pierro filly Pierossa back a half-neck back in third.
Pavitra bloomed in Melbourne last spring, finishing third in the Group III Ethereal Stakes and second in the Group II Wakeful Stakes. She rounded out her campaign with a length second to She’s Extreme in Group 1 Victorian Oaks.
The Kia Ora Stud homebred resumed with a promising fifth in the Group II Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on February 18.
With her stakes breakthrough, Pavrita advances her record to three wins, two seconds, and a third from 10 starts with earnings of $434,605.
Chad Schofield said he felt the winner a long way out.
“That was very impressive. Obviously, we have bigger fish to fry in the Vinery and Oaks, but she put the writing on the wall in Melbourne, and she is a beautiful staying filly,” Schofield said.
“She has been a filly that over-travelled in her races, but today she spat the bit out. She got into lovely rhythm and kept extending up the straight. It was a lovely feeling.”
Will Freedman said it was next stop the Vinery Stud Stakes.
“There’s always nerves when dealing with horses that showed they could do it last prep the come in later in their 3yo career,” Freedman said.
‘When she gets her way up frony like that she is dynamic.
“We have a great group of owners and Kia Ora are fantastic breeders who have supported us for a long time.
“We have had some good discussions about where she is best placed. You want to get it right because you only get one chance in a 3yo career.
“It looks like we have pulled the right rein, and now it’s a matter of getting her right the next two weeks and heading to the Vinery where she looks another good chance.”
Passed in when failing to make her $200,000 reserve at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Pavitra is a half-sister to Group 1 MVRC AJ Moir Stakes hero Wild Ruler (Snitzel) who covered 174 mares for a fee of $38,500 at Newgate Farm last spring.
Pavitra’s dam Gypsy Robin (USA) was a $750,000 purchase for Kia Ora Stud at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale.
A top-class race mare in North America for Wesley Ward, Gypsy Robin (USA) broke her maiden at two by over seven lengths at Keeneland.
Like many of her trainer’s flyers, she made the trip to Royal Ascot for the Group II Queen Mary Stakes, where she led with a furlong to run before weakening for seventh behind the Exceed And Excel filly Best Terms.
Gypsy Robin won a pair of Grade IIs and three Listed stakes and was second in the Grade 1 Test stakes at Saratoga in a 12-start career.
The daughter of the Awesome Again stallion Daaher is a half-sister to stakes-winner Tiger Cat Lilly (Tale Of The Cat), out of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Feisty Princess.
Gypsy Robin (USA) has a 2yo sister to Pavrita, which was a $200,000 Easter purchase for Peachester Lodge Trust.
After foaling a filly by Kia Ora Stud’s Golden Slipper winner Farnan on October 28, Gypsy Robin (USA) revisited Snitzel.
Pavitra is the 32nd stakes-winner for Coolmore Stud’s Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (USA), who shuttled for five seasons, the last in 2021.
