Racing: Vernazza upsets Million hopefuls

Promising 2-year-old filly Vernazza (left, 9) drives hard to the line at Ellerslie yesterday. Photo / Trish Dunell

Juvenile filly Vernazza showed she had taken plenty of benefit from her debut run for third at Matamata last month when she fought doggedly to claim the winning prize in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m) at Ellerslie yesterday.

The impeccably-bred younger half-sister to talented 3-year-old Bavella had been well fancied to make a winning debut at Matamata but struggled to cope with the step up from a 1000m trial win to the hustle and bustle of raceday, although she was brave in defeat behind the talented Yourpoint.

Trainer Lance Noble felt she had improved sharply from the experience and his judgment was proven to be spot on as she extended nicely in the run home for rider Leith Innes after racing in cramped quarters approaching the home turn.

Innes played a patient game and when he asked the filly to run, she responded gamely to defeat the well backed debutant Helsinki and Dragon Queen.

"She had shown a lot at home and we thought a bit of her but first up she was probably just a bit new," Noble said.

Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud couple Brendan and Jo Lindsay, Vernazza is the third foal from stakes-winning mare Zonza.

The victory by Vernazza has thrown a spanner into the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) aspirations of several of the other runners in the race as Vernazza took out the thick end of the prizemoney on offer but is ineligible for the Karaka Yearling Sale graduates race.

Beaten runners Dragon Queen, Bordeaux Le Rouge, Trident and Hasstobemagic strengthened their positions on the order of entry but both Helsinki and Tango Love now look unlikely to gain a start in the $1 million juvenile feature. The race was robbed of plenty of interest with the scratching of another well-fancied Karaka Million 2YO contender in Cool Aza Beel (See story B5).

●Promising 3-year-old Run To Perfection got his timing spot on when he lunged late to score in age group company over 1200m in the first race at Ellerslie yesterday.

The Stephen Marsh-trained galloper hadn't been sighted since finishing a gritty fourth behind Catalyst in the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton back in November. Handled patiently by in-form rider Jason Waddell, the Sepoy colt sat behind the early pace then angled into the clear in the run home.

"He's a colt that we have a lot of time for," Marsh stable representative Todd Pollard said.

Pollard indicated that Run To Perfection would now be set for the Gr.3 Henley Park Mr Tiz Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie on Karaka Million night (January 25).

The Marsh stable made it a winning double when talented mare Santa Catarina bounced back to winning form in the second race on the programme, the open 1200m contest.

It took Waddell an extra race to claim his double but he did it in fine style with a perfectly executed front-running effort by Pimlico in the day's other 3-year-old contest, the Barfoot & Thompson (1500m).

Marsh and Waddell combined for a third win later on the day when Lincoln King took out a rating 72 2100m contest.

- NZ Racing Desk