A star is born in Canterbury Belle Stakes
Exciting three-year-old Miss Starlight (NZ) (Sweynesse) thrust her name squarely into contention for future Group One honours when she destroyed a quality field of fillies in the time-honoured feature race at Riccarton on Saturday, the Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m)
The unbeaten daughter of Sweynesse went into the contest with a pair of wins on the Riccarton synthetic track under her belt but no one was sure how she would take the leap to the grass surface.
The John and Karen Parsons owned and bred filly answered that question in emphatic fashion as she sat outside leader Spark (NZ) (Time Test) for the majority of the journey before dashing clear early in the home straight for rider Tina Comignaghi.
Chased hard by the well supported North Island raider Bona Sforza (Written By) and the late closing Intention, Miss Starlight never looked like yielding as she maintained a powerful gallop to score decisively by nearly two lengths in a smart 1.10.58 for the 1200m journey on a Soft5 surface.
Comignaghi confirmed her mount had created a deep impression on her with the performance.
“She is a very special filly as today she stepped up,” Comignaghi said.
“She has never had to go on the grass or had much competition but she proved she is a really special horse.
“I didn’t know what she was going to do (from the starting gates) as once she jumped good and another time she didn’t, but she travelled well so I pushed forward.
“I had a handful (of horse) into the straight and I thought I had a chance but I didn’t know she would do that.
“She is a very exciting filly for the rest of the Spring.”
Miss Starlight holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on 8 November with TAB Bookmakers establishing her as the $10 Fixed Odds third favourite behind Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) ($3.20) and Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma) ($5).
Bred by Karen Parsons out of her five-race winner Firelight (NZ) (Fantastic Light), Miss Starlight is closely related to the ill-fated multiple Group One winner Tavistock who was establishing himself as a world class stallion at Cambridge Stud before his untimely death in 2019.
