Racing: Quality mare retires without elusive group one win

Rasa Lila with her trainer Julia Ritchie. Photo / Trish Dunell

Rasa Lila has been retired without a top-flight victory to her credit, but those closest to her have no doubt that only bad luck denied her the perfect breeding CV.

"She was such a good horse and it's a real shame she didn't win a group one - she was definitely good enough to," said Julia Ritchie, who trained the Darci Brahma mare with Steven Ramsay.

Last year's Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham had loomed as Rasa Lila's big opportunity to break through at the highest level, only to have it snatched away days before the event.

"I can honestly say I had never been so confident of winning a race and then she got colic on the Monday afternoon," Ritchie said.

"It was heart-breaking really. After that we were chasing our tail with her in those last two races." Rasa Lila resumed in the autumn with a respectable sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes and she then finished a close seventh in the Gr.1 Travis Stakes.

"She's a beautiful mare, a really neat horse and retired 100 per cent sound. We hope she leaves some lovely babies," Ritchie said.

Bred and raced by Sir Peter Vela, Rasa Lila won seven races including the Gr.2 Travis Stakes and the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes and she was group one placed in the Windsor Park Plate and the Easter Stakes. Two multiple winners in the team who will be in action in the new season are Sopraffina and Quintessentially.

"Sopraffina will be out first, Quintessentially needs better tracks, and she might go to the South Island to try and get some black type at the cup carnival."

- NZ Racing Desk