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.
Pure Alpha delivers again as Ardrossan continues to rise
Ardrossan gelding Pure Alpha led throughout to win by 1.29 lengths at Eagle Farm for owner Ozzie Kheir, taking his earnings past $300,000. The result caps a stellar run for sire Ardrossan, whose yearlings fetched up to $450,000 this year on strong Hong Kong form.
Read More
The Corner with Garry Chittick
It is difficult to maintain momentum when sitting in judgment of racing’s governance. After all, I get no pleasure in searching for non-credible decisions, but one is perpetually bewildered by the rationale behind many of the positions that make little sense.
Read More