Photo: Race Images South
North Island raider Raziah (Niagara) produced a brilliant burst of speed to make it back-to-back victories at stakes level when she took out the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton on Saturday.
Fresh off success in a slogging finish to the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton last month, the Tony Pike-prepared filly looked to be in a power of trouble when back on the fence and a conservative six lengths off the leaders rounding the home turn.
Despite collecting a bump from the tiring Rapid shortly after straightening, rider Sam Wynne kept the daughter of Niagara balanced and she began to close off powerfully, eventually storming along the inner of Dream Of The Moon and When Stars Align to win by a neat length at the post.
Bred and raced by The Oaks Stud, Raziah is out of Justa Secret, who is a full-sister to the dam of last season’s Group One-performed three-year-old Antrim Coast.
Her second dam is former top race mare Keepa Cruisin who won the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) in the blue and white colours of The Oaks Stud and is a half-sister to the stud’s champion mare Seachange.
The Oaks Stud General Manager, Rick Williams, was on-course to witness the victory and admitted he had been quietly confident after watching her parade before the race.
“She looked absolutely fantastic and I thought had improved by three or four lengths off her Riccarton win,” Williams said.
“She was really tough that day and she has the same sort of grit and toughness that Seachange had which will stand her in good stead as she gets up in distance.
“I was quietly confident although when she copped the bump just into the home straight it knocked me a bit, however she had her momentum up and she charged home like a good filly.
“There were some people worried about her on a better track (Good3) but her whole family like it on the hard ground and I thought that showed in the final stages today.”
The performance labelled Raziah as a major contender for the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton next month, where she now sits at an $8 quote on the TAB Fixed Odds market.
Williams believes she has shown she has what it takes to win a race like the Guineas.
“I thought her win today was very good as it was a step up in class and against both sexes,” he said.
“There may be one or two fillies around with better speed than her but when you get to that long Riccarton home straight and it gets tough in the closing stages our filly will be in for a scrap.”
Raziah has now won two of her five starts and more than $125,000 in prizemoney
