Sentimental Miss supreme in New Zealand Oaks

[Chief Stipe]

After running third in the 2000 Guineas with Sir Nate, fourth in the 1000 Guineas with Secret Allure and third in the New Zealand Derby with Platinum Invador, Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta saved the best for last in today’s Gr. 1 Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand Oaks at Trentham.

In Sentimental Miss, Latta had long believed she might have one of the strongest staying three-year-old fillies in New Zealand. The daughter of Reliable Man proved that point this afternoon with a relentless performance in the $400,000 fillies’ classic.

Starting as a $21.10 outsider, Sentimental Miss was perfectly positioned by jockey Lisa Allpress, three back on the fence behind a suicidal early pace. By the end of the race the front-runners, Dare To Compare and Pullyoursocksup, were last and second-last and a long margin behind the rest.

As the frenetic tempo began to take its toll on those ahead of her, Sentimental Miss surged through a big gap that opened approaching the home turn.

She was quickly joined by the previously unbeaten Beyond The Fort, who followed her through that opening, while the $79 outsider Star Karen chimed in with a big performance out wide on the track.

But all of the stamina and quality that Latta had seen in Sentimental Miss shone through in the last 200 metres and she edged clear of the other pair, scoring by a length and a quarter.

It was vindication for Latta. While Sentimental Miss had shown promise in the season with a maiden win at Otaki and a close third in the Gr. 3 Wellington Stakes behind subsequent Derby winner Crown Prosecutor and a second in the Gr. 2 Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic, she was going into today’s Oaks on the back of a dull ninth in the Gr. 2 Lowland Stakes two weeks ago. Latta put blinkers on for today’s grand final.

“It’s a fantastic result,” Latta said. “We walked away from the Lowland thinking, ‘Should we press on to the Oaks?’

“We decided to try putting blinkers on today, and it’s made a huge difference. When she came through on the inside around the turn, I thought she was going well and she could run third or fourth and it would be a great performance. But she kept finding. She’s bred to stay and it was a fantastic performance today.”

Sentimental Miss was a $40,000 yearling purchase at Karaka by syndicators Go Racing, who have now won a classic for the second season in a row, following Hasahalo in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas.

“Group Ones are the ultimate, the top level, this is what we do it for,” manager Albert Bosma said. “This was actually the last horse we syndicated last year, it took us ages to get her fully syndicated. This is a great result for a wonderful group of owners.”

With two wins and four placings from her 11 starts, Sentimental Miss has earned more than $273,000 in prize-money.

Latta has not yet decided whether the grey will push on towards the Australian Oaks in Sydney on April 13. “We’ll get through today first,” she said.

Sentimental Miss became Latta’s second Oaks winner, joining Wharite Princess back in 2004.

This was a sixth Group One win for Allpress, and especially satisfying after spending a significant amount of time on the sidelines with injury in recent seasons.

“We had a lovely run,” the premiership leader said. “The Baker-Forsman horses (Queen Of Diamonds and Rubira) dragged me into it nearing the corner, but they seemed to be under the bat a little bit. I wanted to be patient, but that patience went out the window at the top of the straight!”

Sentimental Miss became the first Group One winner for Reliable Man, who shuttles to Westbury Stud.

Beyond The Fort finished a gallant second, continuing a great week for Waverley trainer Bill Thurlow. He won last Saturday’s Auckland Cup with Glory Days, whose half-sister Nerve Not Verve was a close fourth in today’s Oaks, just behind the third-placed Star Karen.

Favourite Queen Of Diamonds was eighth, five lengths from the winner. The other favoured runners, Pinmedown and Imelda Mary, finished 10^th and 14^th respectively.

The Oaks result means the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series title is shared between Queen Of Diamonds and Imelda Mary. They went into today’s race tied on 18 points, and neither added to that tally. Oaks winner Sentimental Miss moved up to third with 16 points.

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