Celestial Wonder impresses at Te Aroha

[Wandering Eyes]

Promising filly Celestial Wonder (Xtravagant) left little to the imagination at Te Aroha on Wednesday, bolting to her maiden success in the KB Bloodstock 1150.

After impressing at the trials, Celestial Wonder showed plenty of fight in the testing conditions on debut at the course on October 30, finishing a neck short of Honey Badger. Back on an improving Soft 5 surface, the three-year-old filly was heavily backed to go one better, closing at $1.40 over debutant She’s All That ($9.20).

Sliding forward from a middle draw, Celestial Wonder settled outside of the leader through the running and looked the winner a long way from home, cruising into the straight and leaving the rest of the field in her wake by 4 – ½ lengths.

The filly carried the colours of Te Akau Racing, who trained her Group One-winning sire Xtravagant, and her three-win dam Meteoric Lass. Mark Walker, co-trainer of the Matamata stable in partnership with Sam Bergerson, praised the ride of Michael McNab after the victory.

“It was a positive ride by Michael, he cuddled her up on the pace and she won with a lot of authority,” he said.

“It’s good to see she can handle better track conditions and, obviously, as a three-year-old we’re conscious of looking towards black type races. The O’Leary’s Fillies Stakes (Listed, 1340m) on 30 November at Wanganui could be a suitable race for her.

“She’s taken a little while to come to it physically, but I still think there is further improvement now that she’s getting older and more mature.”

Later on the Te Aroha card, McNab produced a similar ride aboard stablemate Ocean Miss (NZ) (Ocean Park) in the Riversley Park 1400, leading from the outset and finding plenty in the straight to score by 1 – ½ lengths to Eye Candy.

By Ocean Park out of a Pins mare in Runway, the filly was a $60,000 purchase by David Ellis at the 2023 Karaka Yearling Sales out of the draft of Carlaw Park. Her grand-dam, Double Elle, produced Te Akau’s four-time Group One winner Gingernuts.

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