Smart effort from promising filly

The well-related Smart Love (ex Relentless Desire) has made an encouraging start to her career and a step up in trip at Te Rapa this afternoon delivered her maiden success.

The daughter of Savabeel had finished runner-up in both of her previous spring outings at Taupo and over 1600 metres she went one better.

Prepared by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, the Waikato Stud-bred and raced Smart Love settled fourth away from the fence before rider Masa Hashizume peeled wide before the turn.

The three-year-old strode to the front 250 metres from home and had enough in reserve to justify expectations.

“We thought she was Wexford Stables’ best of the day, everything added up,” Scott said.

“She’s a beautiful, big filly who can only get better.”

Smart Love is a daughter of the O’Reilly mare Relentless Desire and is a brother to the winner Incessant, an $850,000 Karaka graduate who now races in Hong Kong as Bucephalas.

Relentless Desire, who is due to foal to Noverre, is a half-sister to the four-time Group 1 winner Metal Bender and the family of the G1 New Zealand Oaks heroine Amarelinha.