A decision to bring well-bred mare St Jessie from Australia for the summer racing carnival kicked off in the best possible fashion at Ellerslie yesterday.
St Jessie overpowered seven rivals to take out the Group Three $50,000 Great Northern Challenge Stakes in the hands of an in-form Leith Innes.
The five-year-old Jetball-sired
mare has been racing from the Sydney stable of New Zealand trainer Chris Waller and proving very competitive in the fillies and mares ranks. Waller and part-owner Bill Gleeson decided to bring her here.
Based with Matamata trainer John Sargent, St Jessie paraded in magnificent order and showed her class in the home stretch, drawing clear to win by three-quarters of a length over Millennium and Society Beau (third).
If there was an unlucky runner, it had to be the fourth placed Belle Femme who was trapped in behind Society Beau the length of the home stretch.
"There's a shortage of fillies and mares races in Sydney at the moment and this was a great opportunity to bring this mare back to New Zealand to race," said Gleeson after the race. "I don't think a lot of people realise how strong the Australian form is as this mare four starts ago at Newcastle carried the top weight of 57 kilograms and set a track record.
"I purchased this mare as a yearling for $14,000 after I was a part-owner in racing her dam Be Bop A Lula.
"She'll be here possibly right through until the Zabeel Classicbut we'll be taking things one race at a time."
