Will NZ Filly of the Year race again? Dijon Bleu might be retired
The connections of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Dijon Bleu have yet to decide whether she will race again.
The multiple stakes winner is currently side-lined by a tendon strain that cut short her preparation for the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
After an outstanding spring and summer campaign, Dijon Bleu had built up a commanding lead in the race for the fillies’ title and could only have been denied the crown had the Trentham classic runner-up Contessa Vanessa gone one better on Saturday.
“We’re very, very proud of her,” Dijon Bleu’s part-owner and trainer Lisa Latta said.
“We’re looking at all the options, she’s worth a lot of money as a breeding proposition and she hasn’t got anything left to prove.”
A daughter of Burgundy, Dijon Bleu has won six of her 11 starts including the Group 2 Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic (2000m), the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1400m) and the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m). She also finished second in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
Meanwhile, plans for stablemate Five To Midnight to run in the A$2 million Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 14 have been confirmed.
The well-performed stayer has been freshened since his close second in the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m).
“He had a week in the paddock and came back into the stable this morning,” Latta said.
“We just have to decide if he needs a run before he goes to Sydney and, if he does, that would be in the Awapuni Gold Cup.”