The 2022-23 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series heads to Awapuni on Wednesday for its ninth leg – a special edition of the $120,000 Group Two Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes (2100m).
The Lowland Stakes is being sponsored for the 10th year in a row by Little Avondale Stud, and the race is named after a champion filly bred by Nancy Williams – grandmother of Little Avondale co-owner Sam Williams.
First run by the Masterton Racing Club in 1972, the Lowland Stakes is these days held at Hastings. However, the devastation caused earlier this month by Cyclone Gabrielle, and the significant role being played for the local community by Hawke’s Bay Racing ever since, have forced a last-minute relocation to Awapuni.
“We had big plans for a celebration of our involvement in a race that means so much to Little Avondale, but understandably Cyclone Gabrielle has changed all that,” Catriona Williams told NZ Racing Desk.
“Hawke’s Bay Racing have had so much to deal with, opening up their venue to people and animals affected by the cyclone, but they’ve been fantastic along with the team at Awapuni in still making it happen.
“Part of it will be a punters’ club that Little Avondale have put $1,000 into, and everything on the day will be geared towards a donation to the Hawke’s Bay Flood Appeal.
“While it’s terrible what’s happened, we still want to make a celebration of this year’s Lowland Stakes and a big part of that is anyone who wishes to come along does so and adds to the fund-raising effort.”
From a racing perspective, the Lowland Stakes is a significant stop along the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series road. Not only is it worth 8 points to the winner, 4 for second and 2 for third, but it is also a key lead-up to the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 18.
Pennyweka (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) and Contagious (NZ) (Proisir) are the only two runners in this year’s field who already have NZB Filly of the Year Series points to their name. Pennyweka picked up 3 points from her second placing in the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) on January 28, while Contagious earned 2 points with her last-start third in the Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m).
But there is plenty of quality through the rest of the line-up, with Diss Is Dramatic (NZ) (Dissident) being a two-time stakes winner, Family Ties (NZ) (Contributer) taking out last month’s Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m), and Sheez Dominant (NZ) (Vanbrugh) winning the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1340m) before a runner-up finish in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m).
The Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes will be run as Race 7 at Awapuni on Wednesday, with a start time of 5.34pm.
