Roger James is warning punters to look out for the exciting Macavelli Miss next season.
The 5-year-old mare unleashed a blistering home stretch sprint down the outer of the track to gun down the gallant Vegas Showgirl and win the $40,000 (Listed) Gould Photographics Rotorua Stakes by three-quarters of a
length.
A further long neck away in third was Abit Rusty.
Macavelli Miss carried 56kg under the weight-for-age scale while second-placed Vegas Showgirl carried only 45kg.
"It was a top effort to win this listed race as she had to carry a bit of weight and really stretched out to catch that 2-year-old filly in the closing 50 metres," said James. "I've always felt that she was a weak, slow maturing type and winning a Group One or Group Two race is well within her grasp.
"She will come into her own next season as she's quietly gone about things learning her trade. Fourteen hundred metres is as far as she can run at the moment but I do think next season that she'll handle racing up to 1600 metres.
"I'm very keen on taking her to Christchurch for that big mile race during the New Zealand Cup week as it's good stake money and she'll love a big roomy track like Riccarton.
"I can see a lot of horses trying to peak too early chasing a starting berth in a race like the Kelt Stakes so the race in Christchurch is a good option for us."
The Vettori-sired mare has been a consistent performer for James, scoring five wins and five minor placings from 13 starts.
He was far from disappointed by the performances of Kajema and Aeroforce One in the $100,000 First Sovereign Trust Rotorua Cup.
Kajema set the pace and was run down late by Convincing who won the Group Three event by a half-head.
"Kajema is not a front runner and he ended up setting up the track record winning time and was only caught in the final couple of strides.
"He did run out a bit in the home stretch but that was because he got tired and I have no complaints about the ride from jockey Trudy Thornton.
"Aeroforce One did well to finish fifth as a year ago he was too weak to bring to the racetrack and he has come a long way in 12 months. He will definitely make the step up next season and win a big Cups race."
