Local filly Diablo Blanco produced a bold audition for Christchurch’s upcoming spring features with a runaway victory in Saturday’s CJC Feature Nominations Close 27 August Three-Year-Old (1200m) on Riccarton’s synthetic track.
The $40,000 race was the first three-year-old appearance for Diablo Blanco, whose five starts as a juvenile last season produced two wins and a fourth in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m).
Sent out as a $1.70 favourite on Saturday, Diablo Blanco and jockey Ashvin Goindasamy stalked the front-running Porthouse Lady up until the home turn. Goindasamy pushed the button in the straight and Diablo Blanco immediately produced a quality turn of foot, bounding to the front and opening up a dominant winning margin of four and a half lengths.
"She was impressive today," trainer Richard Didham said. "When he asked her to go, she went whoosh. She's a lovely filly and it was great to see her win like that."
The Super Seth filly has now had six starts for three wins, a second and $87,525 in stakes for an ownership syndicate that includes her breeders Little River Thoroughbreds and Tony Rider.
Didham is now working backwards from the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m), which will be run on Riccarton's turf course on September 14.
Further down the track, the TAB now rates her a $21 chance for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November. That market is headed by Alabama Lass ($4), Captured By Love ($5), Velocious ($6) and Archaic Smile ($8).
"The Canterbury Belle Stakes is definitely our next target now," Didham said. "As long as she pulls up well from this and I continue to be happy with her in between times, that's where we'll be heading. The three-week gap between runs is ideal. I'm looking forward to seeing how she goes there.
"I'm also hopeful that she might get up over a bit more ground after that. She relaxes nicely in her races, and her dam is a full-sister to I Do, who was very good up to a mile. I'm very hopeful that she'll be effective over 1400m and 1600m."
