Racing: Flawless effort impresses Spratt

Deceptive filly Shees Flawless gave Sam Spratt a high-speed thrill at Te Rapa that turned back the clock to her glory days as the regular partner of a dual New Zealand Horse of the Year.

The strapping chestnut produced a sizzling display to run her rivals into submission in the Inglis Sales Cambridge Breeders' Stakes.

Such was the electric display of front-running, that Spratt was moved to say she hadn't felt that sort of power since combining with multiple group one winner Mufhasa. "That was pretty impressive and I didn't have a clue that she was going so quickly.

"She's so big and strong and the main thing with her is to just get her to settle in the running."

Shees Flawless, who had won her previous two starts in Spratt's hands, revelled in her work at the head of the field and when she slipped clear at the top of the straight the chasers had no answer.

She had 2 lengths to spare at the post and cut out the 1200m on a dead track in a slick 1:08.89.

Shees Flawless is trained by Roger James, who was at the Gold Coast with his stable star Silent Achiever, for a syndicate that includes co-breeder and part-owner Peter Walker.

"She's got a great cruising speed," he said. "She's out of a Fastnet Rock mare and that's where the strength comes from."

Walker also shared in the ownership of Shees Flawless' group one winning sire Fully Fledged, whose career at stud has waned.

"I had to let the stallion go - nobody wanted to stand him," he said.

Like the Trentham winner Hover, Shees Flawless was the subject of a $50,000 win bet and her supporter had no concerns with a comprehensive defeat of her stablemate Tavy with Passing Shot third ahead of Perfect Fit.

— NZ Racing Desk