Trainer raising the bar for talented filly

16 February 2015

Ron Gussey is considering a Group Three test for his smart filly Midnight Mistress during the upcoming Auckland Cup carnival. The Avondale trainer’s confidence was boosted at Ellerslie this afternoon when his three-year-old went back to back with a strong winning performance in the Rating 65 sprint.

WS graduate Midnight Mistress beat a subsequent winner in Fully Funded on her home track last month and she has handled another rise in class with ease. She ran out the 1200 metres powerfully, prompting connections to eye the Westbury Stud Classic (1400m) on March 4.

“She’ll have one more run and then a spell – the further she goes the better she will be,” Gussey said. By Savabeel, she is out of the Listed Castletown Stakes winner Vera Pro Gratis, a daughter of the dual Gr 3 Cornwall Handicap and Rotorua Cup winner Nat The Brat.

Porcia Catonis powers home as Super Seth’s rise continues

Super Seth’s strong run continues with Porcia Catonis, who delivered a dominant win at Riccarton for Fortuna Racing. The lightly raced filly is now a two-time winner and adds to a stellar season for her sire, who boasts three Group 1 winners and a 4.34% G1 winners-to-runners strike rate.

28 May 2025

Gutsy bebut win for Ardrossan’s Macallan

Ardrossan’s son Macallan impressed on debut in Thursday’s opener at Tauranga, overcoming Heavy10 conditions to win the Tierra Maiden 3YO (1200m) by 1.3 lengths. Trained by Wexford Stables and racing for JML Bloodstock, the gelding showed toughness and class to finish strongly before the meeting was abandoned due to weather.