With 28 points up for grabs in two Group Two races within the space of six days, Ellerslie’s Christmas Carnival looms a pivotal period in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series.
Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Kahma Lass (NZ) (Darci Brahma) currently tops the table with 15 points, but her connections have their sights set on Sydney for the remainder of her three-year-old campaign.
That leaves the race for the coveted title wide open, and all eyes will be on Ellerslie over the coming week. The $100,000 Group Two Jamieson Park Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Boxing Day is worth 8 points for first, 4 for second and 2 for third, and the $100,000 Group Two Valachi Downs Royal Stakes (2000m) on New Year’s Day carries the same number of points.
A potential big mover in the Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day is De La Terre (NZ) (Reliable Man), who currently shares third place on the table with 6 points courtesy of her victory in the Group Three Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) in October. Sweet Anna (NZ) (Tavistock) is the other runner in the Eight Carat field with points to her name, collecting 3 points for a second placing in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m).
Series newcomers Moana (NZ) (Ocean Park), Helsinki (NZ) (Savabeel) and Fleetwood Maca (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) have all been stakes-placed this season, while seven others in the talented line-up have been recent winners.
The Jamieson Park Eight Carat Classic will be run as Race 8 on Saturday with a start time of 4.35pm.
View the full 2020-21 NZB Filly of the Year Series leaderboard here.
