Well-related filly lives up to expectations at Oamaru
THREE-YEAR-OLD filly The Precious One has plenty to live up to, but it couldn’t have made a more impressive start to its career on Friday.
The filly by Darci Brahma out of multiple group one-winning mare The Jewel, was the talk of the town prior to the running of the Point6 Socks Maiden at Oamaru, but not many punters thought it would be so dominant.
The 6.25-length victory on a heavy track was done with relative ease. Last season’s leading rider, Chris Johnson, barely moved a muscle on the sizable filly and it quickly put away some talented trials and race day performers.
“I’m thrilled to bits,” trainer Claire Anderton told Horsebetting.com.au. “I knew she had ability, but I thought she would have been a bit vulnerable.
“There were horses in there that had raced and trialed and had that experience and fitness under the belt, she obviously hadn’t.
“She was doing it pretty easy.”
The Jewel was a Group 1 winner of the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton and punters were quick to find The Precious One in the betting markets for the three-year-old fillies feature later this season.
Anderton confirmed that she will target The Precious One for the Guineas in the hopes to replicate its mothers efforts in 2002.
“We’ll put a nomination in, but obviously there’s plenty of work to do between now and then,” Anderton said.
“At the end of the day it’s her first start and she still has to improve before she runs in the Guineas.
“We’ll take it one step at a time and hopefully she gets there.”
The Precious One hadn’t trialed before winning on debut, largely due to the wet track conditions New Zealand racing has suffered this year.
Without the experience on a dry surface, Anderton was reluctant to suggest it would be better on firmer ground which should be expected at Riccarton in November.
“We haven’t been able to get on the grass because it’s been too wet,” she said. “She’s really had one serious gallop on the sand.
“She hasn’t done a whole lot of work to be honest.”
The future for The Precious One certainly looks bright and Australian and New Zealand punters can bet on the 1000 Guineas markets with CrownBet.com.au.