Racing: Pitmans in money at Riccarton

Impecunious heads to a comfortable win yesterday. Photo / Race Images South

The leading South Island training combination of Michael and Matthew Pitman produced a race-to-race double early on the card on their home turf at Riccarton yesterday.

Showcasing 2-year-old filly Showgem showed plenty of speed on debut to lead throughout over 800m in the second race of the day. Thirty minutes later, Sacred Falls 2-year-old filly Impecunious stormed away from her rivals over the concluding stages of a 1000m contest.

Senior training partner Michael Pitman was thrilled.

"I've said all along that these are high-class fillies and I think they showed that [yesterday]," he said.

"I told Mark Chittick [of Waikato Stud] at the yearling sales 18 months ago that I thought I had bought the best Sacred Falls in the country and I still believe that.

"We also think so much of Showgem that we recently purchased her half-brother by Belardo for the owner of Impecunious."

Impecunious is owned by long-time Pitman supporter Chris Griffin, a supermarket owner from Queenstown who has had horses with the stable for more than 30 years.

Pitman was glowing in his praise for Impecunious who, despite showing some greenness in the run home yesterday, put her rivals away with consummate ease.

"I think she's the best horse in our stable since Savvy Coup," he said.

"I make no secret of that, as she is a very talented filly, from a Zabeel mare who was placed in the St Leger [2400m] and related to a Sydney Cup winner."

Pitman is undecided where both fillies would run next but indicated they would most likely have one more run each before taking on stakes company in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) in September.

- NZ Racing Desk