With the end of the 2023-24 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series rapidly approaching, a high-quality field of fillies will head to Ellerslie and chase crucial points in Saturday’s $150,000 Group Three McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m).
Worth 6 points to the winner, 3 for second and 1.5 for third, the Sunline Vase was scheduled to be the tenth leg of the 11-race series. However, the abandonment of Wednesday’s Hastings race meeting means the Group Two Lowland Stakes (2100m) is likely to be rescheduled to a later date.
In the meantime, a quality line-up of 11 fillies will line up in the Sunline Vase, including Still Bangon (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who is the only one with a mathematical chance of catching up to runaway series leader Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High).
As the winner of the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and two Group Two races, Molly Bloom has compiled 28 points but will take no further part in the series. Still Bangon earned 10 points from winning the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and finishing second in the Group Two Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m). With 6 points available to the winner of Saturday’s Sunline Vase and then 12 in the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) on March 16, she could equal Molly Bloom’s tally by winning both races.
The Sunline Vase field also features multiple Group One placegetter Tulsi (The Autumn Sun), who has earned 5.5 points, along with the ultra-consistent Livid Sky (NZ) (Proisir) who has 4.
There are six other winners in the Sunline Vase line-up, along with the last-start Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m) placegetter Moonlight Magic (NZ) (Almanzor).
The McKee Family Sunline Vase will be run as Race 6 at Ellerslie on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 3.28pm.
