Pierina bolts away with Travis

Savabeel mare Pierina caused a major upset when she dashed clear in the final stages to score an hollow win in the G2 Travis S. at Te Rapa this afternoon.

The underrated 6-year-old had produced a late finish to run third in the Listed Anzac Mile at Awapuni last time out and appreciated the step up to a middle distance.

The Stephen Marsh-trained mare handled the quick back-up and travelled sweetly beyond midfield for rider Michael McNab and when the gaps opened in the straight she streaked through and cleared out to win by 5l.

“That was a good field and she just destroyed them,” Marsh said. “She had just thrived so much off her last run and was ready to go a big race.

“When she came home from Awapuni, I said we’d just take her along quietly and see if we could get her to back-up this week. “She did that well I had to give her a little breeze-up on Thursday morning, she was that full of herself.”

Bred by Waikato Stud with trainer John O’Shea’s wife Isabelle, Pierina was sold by the Matamata Farm at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for NZ$110,000 to agent Bruce Perry and races in Lib Petagna’s colours.

Her dam Quizzical, who was successful twice up to 1600 metres, has now produced a pair of black-type winners with her first Showemup (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}), who won the Listed Inglewood S.

Quizzical is out of a half-sister to the G1 Sydney Cup winner Cross Swords (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}) and another headliner act in the within the first two generations of the pedigree is the two-time Group 1 winner Fiveandahalfstar (Hotel Grand).