Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
The inaugural Champions Day kicked off at Ellerslie on Saturday with the $120,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m), and there could have been no more appropriate winner than Francee (NZ) (Iffraaj).
Francee is raced by her co-breeders Haunui Farm, whose managing director Mark Chitty also serves as deputy chair of Auckland Thoroughbred Racing. Chitty had more than one reason to have a spring in his step on Saturday, with the $8.2m Ellerslie extravaganza capturing the attention of the racing world. Haunui Farm also sponsored the $250,000 Group Three King’s Plate (1200m).
The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Francee has now had 19 starts for three wins, six placings and $162,695 in stakes. She also earned an additional $70,000 Pearl Series bonus from Saturday’s big win.
“The Pearl Series and today’s final are great concepts and allow mares to race for very good prize-money,” Walker said. “This is fantastic for the Chitty family, and particularly Mark, who has put so much into racing on the administration side of things.
“This mare has been a bit unlucky and has just been getting too far back. Craig Grylls rode her perfectly today and she certainly deserves this win.”
Francee had a wide draw on Saturday and Grylls was in no hurry in the early stages of the race, easing back to third-last. But he began to improve his position coming down the side of the track, sliding up into sixth and less than four lengths from the lead by the point of the home turn.
Grylls unleashed Francee down the middle of the track, bounding into contention in the final 100 metres and winning by a long head.
“We got a lovely track into the race and she took care of the rest,” Grylls said. “She took a little while to wind up in the straight, but once she changed legs, I was pretty confident she’d get there.”
Francee is by former Haunui shuttle stallion Iffraaj. Her dam Calveen (NZ) (Canny Lad) was herself a big-race performer at Ellerslie, taking out the Group One Easter Handicap (1600m) at the Auckland track in March of 2005.
Saturday’s runner-up Sexy And I Moet (Pierro) earned a $22,200 stake and a $20,000 Pearl Series bonus, while the third-placed She’s Untouchable (Capitalist) picked up $10,800 and $10,000 respectively.
The Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series is a bonus scheme for Southern Hemisphere-bred fillies and mares. The scheme includes up to 100 individual races for fillies and mares over four seasons' racing, with bonuses for each race of $28,000.
The series has been designed to benefit owners, trainers and breeders of fillies and mares running in New Zealand, with races available in all regions of the country. All bonuses are cumulative, so a horse can win multiple bonuses throughout her racing career.
Yearlings must be nominated for the Series prior to the NZTBA deadlines as per their website. This is generally July 31 each year before yearlings turn two years of age. Earlybird nominations are open until March 31, saving up to $500 + GST on entry fees for yearlings purchased at Karaka in January.
