KEY POINTS:
Rangy New Zealand filly Santagostino will attempt to emulate the deeds of the mighty Ethereal after she turned in an authoritative performance to win the Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) on Saturday.
Santagostino is raced by New Zealand breeders, brothers Peter and Philip Vela, who bred and raced Ethereal throughout her career which included the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double in 2001.
Ridden by Craig Williams, the Mark Walker-trained Santagostino (A$13) established a new race record when she clocked 1:49.04 and scored an easy length win over the unlucky Rose Of Sharon (A$7.50) who flew home late.
The Anthony Cummings-trained Deloraine also ran on well to claim third a further three-quarters of a length away.
Santagostino will again clash with the minor placegetters when she heads to the Queensland Oaks on June 2 via the Doomben Roses Classic on May 19, the same path Ethereal followed en route to Flemington six years ago.
Speaking in the absence of his boss, Walker's stable foreman Andrew Carston said Santagostino would take plenty of benefit from Saturday's win.
"We purposely left plenty in the tank going into this race because her main mission is the Oaks," Carston said.
"We thought she would race well but what she did today was a bonus. We would have been happy had she worked home nicely."
Santagostino finished unplaced in the New Zealand Derby two runs ago and Carston said Walker purposely missed the New Zealand Oaks in preference for the Queensland Group One Classic.
"The boss picked this race out for her after her Derby run and he was happy to miss the Oaks at home and wait for the QTC Oaks," Carston said.
"She's a nice filly and she has always shown us plenty of potential at home."
Racing in the Velas' famous blue, white and silver livery, Santagostino gave Williams a reminder of his first Group One winner in the Australasian Oaks on Grand Echezeaux in 2000.
"I haven't ridden in these colours since my first Group One win on Grand Echezeaux and it was a nice reminder when I put them on in the jockeys' room today," Williams said.
"This filly is a nice horse. She'll make her own luck in the longer races because she races on the speed and she'll run the Oaks trip out no problem."
Randwick trainer Pat Webster was elated with Rose Of Sharon's performance and welcomed a rematch with the winner.
"If you watch the replay, my filly should have clearly won," Webster said.
"She found the line better than anything else."
Victorian filly Splashing Out started the A$3.10 favourite but raced disappointingly, according to her jockey Steven King. "She was never really in it, I pushed ... but she found nothing in the straight."
- AAP
