Punters were on the ball when two fillies coming off hugely impressive wins faced off in the Ladbrokes Mates Mode (Bm64) (1400m) at Sandown-Lakeside on Wednesday.
The Nicconi filly Naiconi was coming off a 4-length win over 1200m on the Ballarat Synthetic and Bel Esprit filly Belmia came from tailed off last to make a winning debut over 1112m at Geelong.
Sent off an odd-on favourite under Blake Shinn, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Naiconi led from the front to defeat the solid-finishing Belmia by three-quarters of a length with Dissident filly Miss Dunsford two lengths back in third.
Stable representative Ryan Moore said the daughter of Nicconi may chase black-type as soon as her next start.
“In ten days, there is the Twilight Glow. We will see how she comes out of the run, and I think we will run there,” he said.
Naiconi has a fan in Blake Shinn.
She’s a very intelligent filly, a nice way about her, a good style of horse,” Shinn said.
“I like that when the second horse was coming, I gave her a shake-up, and she responded like a horse going somewhere. A nice effort.
“She quickened up nice, and the second horse put up a good challenge considering I had a good breather.
“I think first and second are going places.”
A $185,000 purchase for McEvoy Mitchell and Belmont Bloodstock from the Collingrove draft at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, Naiconi is the fifth winner from as many to race for the stakes-placed Choisir mare Embark.
A winner at Canterbury, Rosehill (x2), and Moonee Valley, Embark was a $25,000 purchase for Clarke & Croft Bloodstock at the 2021 Inglis June (Late) Online Sale.
The daughter had her first foal in three years on August 28, a filly by North Pacific.
