Misfortune has been a recurring theme in Mehzebeen’s 18-race career, but she made her own luck at Riccarton on Saturday with an emphatic front-running victory in the Listed Nautical Boat Insurance Metropolitan Trophy (2600m).
Runner-up behind Pennyweka in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) as a three-year-old, Mehzebeen went into Saturday’s $100,000 feature with three career victories to her name and unlucky not to have more. She was badly blocked in the straight when sixth in the Metropolitan last year, while she was late getting into clear air when charging home for a last-start second in the Waverley Cup (2200m) on October 20.
In-form jockey Sam Spratt ensured there would be no repeat of that bad luck on Saturday. She pushed Mehzebeen forward from her inside gate and dictated terms from there.
Mehzebeen had an easy and uncontested lead down the back straight, then kicked hard at the top of the straight. The chasers tried hard to reel her back in, led by the strong-finishing Beavertown Boy, but Mehzebeen never came back to them and held them out by half a length.
It was the third consecutive win on the Riccarton card for Spratt, who had previously won the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) with Illicit Dreams and the NZB Ready to Run Sale Trainers’ Series Premier (1400m) with Mazzucato.