Drop Of God’s Te Rapa win highlight of huge black-type day for Te Akau

Drops Of God and Craig Grylls made light work of a wide barrier draw in the Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders' Stakes at Te Rapa on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright

Exciting filly Drops Of God proved to be too good for her rivals at Te Rapa on Anzac Day when running out a dominant victor in the Group 3 Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained 3-year-old had shown plenty of ability in her three prior starts, winning her first two outings before running third in the Almanzor Trophy behind stablemate and subsequent Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Belle Cheval.

She was subsequently freshened with the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes in mind and her trainers were quietly confident heading into Saturday’s 3-year-old feature.

Jockey Craig Grylls took luck out of the equation from their outside barrier in the 14-horse field, launching his filly out of the gates and sending her to the front where he dictated terms, with Drops Of God running out an eventual two-and-a-half-length victor over Central Districts raider Platinum Pantheon, with a nose back to Little Black Dress in third.

“We were pretty confident coming into this off her work,” Grylls said.

“She has been flying in her work and Sam said to me to be positive with intent from the barrier.

“I got there [front] pretty easy and I felt I was able to give her a little bit of a breather around the bend and once she has balanced up in the straight I have only had to go for her at half tempo and she has done the rest.

“They have got a top filly on their hands here and she has shown that today.”

Assistant trainer Reece Trumper was rapt the stable’s plan had come to fruition and he said Australia could now be on the cards for the filly.

“She was faultless in her first preparation, she led up in her first two victories and things didn’t go right for her in the Almanzor Trophy, but she was brave when running third in that.

“She freshened up well and we targeted this race. She has had two pieces of work, one at Te Aroha for a gallop and then last Saturday at Ellerslie, and we couldn’t fault her heading into it.

“We thought we would be positive from that draw. We thought if we could get a few soft sectionals, which Craig did, she would be far too good for them, and she was.

“It [Australia] has been spoken about, but no races have been discussed yet. Ben Thompson [Australian jockey] rode her on Karaka Millions night in the Almanzor Trophy and he said she was certainly well up to that grade, so you take advice from people like that.”

Bred by Greg Tomlinson under his Nearco Stud banner, Drops Of God is raced by Tomlinson in partnership with Raptors Thoroughbred, and she has now won three of her four starts and earned more than $136,000 in prizemoney.

Drops Of God’s victory completed a stable treble for Te Akau Racing at Te Rapa on Saturday, with stablemates System Of Play and Talisker winners earlier in the day in the Beyond Water 2YO (1200m) and Allied Security (1400m) respectively. Qali Al Farrasha also came within a neck of victory in the Group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m), which was won by the Fraser Auret-trained Khanshe.

Meanwhile, at Riccarton, the stable celebrated more stakes success courtesy of Perlino in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk