I'm finding that the fillies and mares events are providing more and more of our best racing. With so many of our better colts and geldings exported now and the well bred colts that stay home more sparingly raced with stud careers in mind, it s a man drought - at least in the quality department.
Take a look at the recent record of four-year-old mares in the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown. Five years ago the young girls weren't getting a look in - how times have changed.
The three-year-old Filly of the Year events are the nursery for this change, full of mouth watering pedigrees and physiques to match. A front-row birdcage posse is essential viewing.
Despite the freakish late winter and spring weather hindering so many preparations, a quality field lined up in yesterdays Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings.
While all honours were with the winner - the seasoned Rememba Howe - the runner-up Zennista struck me as a filly to follow.
From the first NZ crop of former Japan Cup winner Zenno Rob Roy (ZRR), the Lisa Latta trained charge is a gorgeous moving type who relaxes well in her races, factors that will stand her in good stead when stepped up over more ground.
It s very early days for ZRR in NZ but he's made an encouraging start to his stallion career in Japan siring first and third in the Japanese Oaks back in May. With the stallions Sir Tristram and Touching Wood featuring in Zennista's female pedigree she has the staying bloodlines to support a racing style which suggest a race like the New Zealand Oaks in March would suit.
Lisa Latta has been steadily compiling a good record from her Awapuni base and one feature race she s shown an uncanny knack in targeting with success has been the NZ Oaks. From six starters she's had the 2004 winner Wharite Princess: the 2009 runner-up Can't Keeperdown; a third with Lady Annaliesse in 2003; the fourth place-getter Princess Annaliese and the desperately unlucky Fiaba - sixth in 2002 and still looking for a gap.
Zennista still has to prove herself on-top of the ground but if she can, she looks an ideal type to give Lisa Latta her second NZ Oaks.
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