Beneath The Stars (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) may have a fair way to go to reach the lofty heights of some of her relatives, but she is heading in the right direction following her maiden victory at Ellerslie on Sunday.
Bred and raced by George and Maryanne Simon, Beneath The Stars is out of Dormez Vous (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), a half-sister to three-time Group One winner and Group One-producing sire Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj).
By Ten Sovereigns, Beneath The Stars had one prior start, finishing fourth over 1200m at Ellerslie earlier this month, and co-trainer Danny Walker said she had taken plenty of confidence out of the run.
She stepped up in distance in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series 1300 on Sunday, where she was ridden positively from the outset by jockey Triston Moodley, punching forward from her wide gate to sit outside leader Venucci (NZ) (Telperion).
She hit the lead as they entered the straight and continued to build on her advantage before being chased down late by Reliable Squeeze (NZ) (Reliable Man), but she was able to hold on to score a head victory.
Walker was pleased with the winning effort and said his filly has plenty of heart.
“She went well. She is a tough, little girl,” said the Byerley Park horseman, who trains in partnership with Arron Tata.
“After her first run she absolutely thrived and her work had been tremendous, I was just a bit worried about the wide draw, but as it worked out, it came off.”
Walker has had plenty of time for the rising four-year-old and said they have given her time to mature.
“She has done nothing wrong, she is a genuine little thing,” he said. “She had a few muscle issues earlier in her career but just needed a bit of time and maturity.
“She seems to have pulled up well and we might just look for another race for her and see how she goes and play it by ear.”
Looking ahead to racing this week, the stable is set to head to Tauranga on Wednesday with just the one runner.
Embellish four-year-old gelding Lord Goliath (NZ) has been a consistent performer in his seven starts to date, placing in three of his outings, including a last-start runner-up performance over a mile at Matamata last month.
Walker has been pleased with his charge ahead of the midweek meeting and is hoping for a breakthrough victory in the Mills Reef Maiden 2100.
“He will be a good chance,” Walker said. “He missed a bit of work with a knocked leg, but he seems to have caught up. He has never run a bad race, and he will get his turn this winter.”
Meanwhile, Walker reported that his Group One-winning sprinter Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) is enjoying some downtime in the paddock following his run in the A$5 million The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot last month.
“He has had good weather and is thriving in the paddock,” Walker said.
“He got galloped on behind (in The Quokka), and we were a bit concerned that he might have got an infection in the tendon sheath behind. But he got home, and it was clear, so he is a bit lucky in that respect. “He’ll enjoy some time in the paddock and spring and summer time will be his go.”