The prestigious NZB Filly of the Year Series is back again for 2024-25, kicking off in style with a superb line-up of fillies contesting Saturday’s $120,000 Group Three HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.
A coveted prize in New Zealand racing for more than 50 years, the Filly of the Year Series is made up of 11 high-class races between September and March. The races all have Group status and are run over distances ranging from 1200 metres all the way up to the 2400 metres of the grand finale, the Group One New Zealand Oaks at Trentham.
The NZB Filly of the Year winner immediately becomes a highly valuable breeding proposition and earns her connections $50,000 in bonus cheques including $10,000 for her breeder, $10,000 for her trainer and $30,000 for her owner.
The NZB Filly of the Year honour roll features some of the biggest names in the last half-century of the New Zealand thoroughbred industry, such as La Mer (NZ) (Copenhagen II), Our Flight (NZ) (Imperial Guard), Solveig (NZ) (Imposing), Snap (NZ) (Kingdom Bay), Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon), Savannah Success (Success Express), Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed), Katie Lee (Pins), King’s Rose (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi) and Legarto (NZ) (Proisir). Last season’s edition was won by Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High).
There could be no more fitting race to open the NZB Filly of the Year Series every season than the Gold Trail at Hastings, which has been won by the likes of La Mer, Staring (NZ) (Fiesta Star), Snap, Taatletail (NZ) (Faltaat), Anabandana (Anabaa), Bounding (Lonhro) and Avantage (Fastnet Rock).
Last year’s running of the Gold Trail was captured by Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award), who went on to Group One success in Trentham’s Levin Classic (1600m) in January. She kicked off her four-year-old season with a Group Three victory in Melbourne in last weekend’s Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
The 2023 Gold Trail Stakes field also featured Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel), who was unplaced that day but soared to stardom in the summer with her triumphs in the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Sydney’s Group One Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).
That leaves a hard act to follow in 2024, but the fillies in Saturday’s Gold Trail Stakes field have the right credentials to take their careers on a similar upward trajectory.
The biggest name in the line-up is Velocious (Written Tycoon), who was a standout two-year-old last season and won the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m).
Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior) and the multiple Group winner Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) both placed at the elite level as juveniles.
Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) has made a name for herself with two wide-margin wins and a Group Two placing from her three starts to date. Her last-start win came in the three-year-old fillies’ race staged at Taupo every August, which has produced the last two Gold Trail Stakes winners, Quintessa and Best Seller (NZ) (Wrote).
Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) has a Karaka Millions 2YO placing to her name from just a two-start career, while Renovations (NZ) (Ardrossan) placed at Listed level in the autumn.
The Group Three status of Saturday’s Gold Trail Stakes means the winner will receive 6 points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, with 3 for second and 1.5 for third.
The HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders Gold Trail Stakes will be run as Race 7 at Hastings on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 3.22pm.
