A field stacked with emerging talent will clash in Saturday’s $120,000 Group Three New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham, which is the seventh leg of the prestigious New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series.
The Desert Gold Stakes is worth 6 points to the winner on the NZB Filly of the Year Series standings, with 3 points for second and 1.5 for third. Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High) currently tops the table with 20 points, while Impendabelle (Impending) and Still Bangon (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) are the others in double digits with 15 and 12 points respectively.
The only runners in Saturday’s Desert Gold Stakes field with NZB Filly of the Year Series points already to their name are Chantilly Lace (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) and Grail Seeker (NZ) (Iffraaj). Chantilly Lace earned 3 points with a runner-up finish in the series-opening Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September, while Grail Seeker finished third in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day and picked up 2 points.
Outside of that proven pair, 11 of the other 12 runners in Saturday’s Desert Gold Stakes field have won races, including last-start winners Sudbina (NZ) (Almanzor), Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor), Say I Do (NZ) (Pierro) and Sense Of Timing (NZ) (Time Test).
The New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes will be run as Race 5 o
