Racing: Filly makes history to take Guineas double

Katie Lee created New Zealand racing history by completing the Guineas double with a staggering performance at Riccarton Park yesterday.

The 3-year-old pocket rocket stunned racegoers with a phenomenal performance in the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton last Saturday.

Yesterday, in the $300,000 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas, jockey Opie Bosson again produced a top-notch ride, weaving a path between runners in the home stretch.

Katie Lee lengthened stride and reeled in Keep The Peace to score by a half-neck. A further three-quarters of a length away third was Our Ella Belle.

Katie Lee is the first to complete the 1000-2000 Guineas "double" at Riccarton Park and did so in the manner of a filly oozing with class and stamina.

In both Guineas victories, Katie Lee had to overcome traffic problems and come from a seemingly hopeless position to gun down the leader.

The second-placed runner on both occasions was trained by Cambridge-based trainer Shaune Ritchie. Ritchie must be getting sick of the familiar colours of Katie Lee - raced by prominent breeders Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan.

Bosson was full of admiration for Katie Lee.

"She's all class this filly and has the heart the size of a lion. Coming across the top I wasn't that confident as it was a roughly run race and we got back and had to go looking for a run in the straight.

"She's a fighter and really knuckled down to it and chased the leaders."

One runner to catch the eye was the third-placed Our Ella Belle who stormed home late along the rail.

SHAUNE RITCHIE has been confident since arriving in Christchurch with My Scotsgrey that he would win the $225,000 New Zealand Cup and that judgment was vindicated.

My Scotsgrey, carried a half kilogram over his carded weight, but was simply too tough and too strong for the opposition and took the Group Three feature effortlessly.

The 4-year-old scored by a length over Zabene with a further half-length back to Smoking Chimneys in third.

Ritchie set My Scotsgrey for this Group Three event timing his preparation to perfection.

My Scotsgrey completed an impressive hat-trick of victories and justified a hard slog for jockey Leith Innes to get down to 53kg.

"I got back a bit further than I wanted to they weren't going that hard in front and we just worked our way into it out wide," said Innes.

THERE WAS no more popular winner at Tauranga yesterday than the Iron-Horse Sir Slick who effortlessly won the Group Three $70,000 Stella Artois Tauranga Stakes.

The 8-year-old raced midfield before jockey Samantha Collett hooked him to the middle of the track at the top of the home stretch.

Sir Slick sprinted down the outer to win by 2 lengths over Casa de Campo with a long head back to Alagant Satin.

After a frustrating campaign in Melbourne Sir Slick was simply too fit for his younger rivals and took his career record to 21 wins from 106 starts.

Tauranga has been a happy hunting ground for Sir Slick, five wins and two minor placings from 11 starts.