Racing: Two-pronged Eight Carat attack

Media Sensation. Photo / Trish Dunell

Owners Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer could have two runners in the group two Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

Their last-start group one New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Media Sensation is on target to reappear in the three-year-old fillies' feature and now stablemate Jip Jip Rock, who also races in their colours, could start the event, the fourth leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year series.

In just her third start, Jip Jip Rock produced a game performance for second behind Espresso Martini in the Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, bouncing out well from her outside draw to lead and only being run down late to be beaten a long neck.

"She will probably go for the Eight Carat Classic now," co-trainer Peter Williams said. "We really had the Royal Stakes [2000m] at Ellerslie on New Year's Day as her main aim, but the mile-and-a-quarter might be a bit far for her at this stage judging by the way she raced on Saturday.

"We had been riding her in behind and getting her to settle, but this time, she went straight to the front and just about led all the way. The winner came off her back to beat her but she went really well."

Jip Jip Rock is the horse that credited Williams' wife Dawn with her 1000th win as a trainer when scoring at Te Aroha on November 13 and the stable went on to win four races that day.

The manner in which the daughter of High Chaparral cleared out to win by five-and-a-quarter lengths at Te Aroha persuaded her trainers to lift the bar with her on Saturday and she has left no doubt in their minds she is headed for more success.

"She has always shown plenty," Williams said. "We don't want to run the two fillies against each other in the Eight Carat but we might have to. She will get her chance over more ground later on."

Williams said Media Sensation has thrived since her group one win.

"We were going to put her out in the paddock for a while, but with all the rain, we kept her in the stables and just put her out during the day.

"She had four to five easy days and has done really well. She'll go to the Eight Carat and we'll play it by ear until after that. We will see how she goes there then decide on the Karaka Million 3YO Classic [1600m]."

Media Sensation, a daughter of I Am Invincible, has been beaten just once in six starts and boasts successive black-type wins.

- NZ Racing Desk