By MICHAEL GUERIN
Pacing princess Tupelo Rose will not be lost to New Zealand racing even after being sold to United States interests.
The multiple group one winner has been purchased from her Australian owners by New York-based Enviro Stables for close to $NZ500,000.
The company which purchased Tupelo Rose has already made several key New Zealand buys and also owns leading US stallion Presidential Ball, who will be shuttled to New Zealand for the next breeding season.
But the sale will not affect Tupelo Rose's immediate racing future.
Tupelo Rose dominated the New Zealand fillies races in the last 18 months before joining Victorian trainer Ted Demmler in January and even though she is now owned in the United States she will remain with Demmler until at least the end of this season.
"That was part of the deal and it is great to have her still racing over here," said Demmler.
"She has so many big opportunities in front of her and she deserves her chance to win as many of these big races as she can to prove her greatness.
"She is, after all, one of the best fillies produced in this part of the world. She is definitely the best I have driven," said the former world driving championship winner.
Tupelo Rose suffered her first defeat in Australia when beaten by Pukekohe filly Dancingonmoonlight in the New South Wales Oaks this month.
But she bounced back to win the Ballarat Oaks Trial on Friday night. After being attacked in front she strode clear to win effortlessly in the lead-up to next month's Victoria Oaks, for which she will be an unbackable favourite.
Friday's night's race was her first race for her new owners.
The decision to leave Tupelo Rose in Demmler's care for at least six months means the daughter of champion stallion In The Pocket will definitely return to New Zealand for the New Zealand Oaks and Hydroflow Final at Addington in May. That gives her a shot at the New Zealand Fillies Triple Crown as she has already won the Great Northern Oaks.
The Triple Crown was completed by another daughter of In The Pocket, Under Cover Lover, two years ago.
While Tupelo Rose will be coming home for the Addington classics she is not going to get things all her own way as the New Zealand filly crop continues to develop into a vintage one.
Pukekohe filly Dancingonmoonlight confirmed she has closed the gap of her arch-rival with a brilliant win in the $25,000 Bathurst Chalice on Saturday night.
The Steven Reid and Tremain Thorby-trained came from third last to easily beat some of Australia's best fillies and will now return to New Zealand to be aimed at the same Addington features Tupelo Rose is heading for.
In their path will be greatly-improved northerners Shivna, Pocket Queen and Ciccio Star as well as the southern fillies who have already lowered the national fillies mile mark twice in the last two months.
Racing: Tupelo Rose sold to US
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