4 Win Saturday - Francee Fabulous

Deserving a change in fortunes, Francee (5 m Iffraaj – Calveen, by Canny Lad) won the $120,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final Rating 72 Fillies & Mares 1400m on Saturday at Ellerslie.

In the process of winning, Francee also secured a $70,000 Pearl Series bonus in addition to the $69,000 winning stake, after the first race on blockbuster Champions Day, staging the richest race in NZ history: $3.5m NZB Kiwi (Restricted Listed, 1500m) and overall stakes of $8.2m. 

Ridden by premiership leading jockey Craig Grylls, on his birthday, Francee settled back from a wide draw (10), tracked up three-wide inside the 800m, and with a sustained finish was able to get her head in front near the line. 

“She took a while to wind up, but a 100m out once she changed legs, I was fairly confident I had them covered,” Grylls said. “It was a pretty tough effort. 

“The plan worked out really well from the draw. Mark (Walker) said to me if you can be three-wide with cover without getting too far back. We got a lovely track into it and she did the rest.

“It’s great to get first blood on a day like today, and the track is beautiful.”

On Soft5 footing, Francee ran 1400 metres in 1:24.9, last 600m in 35.4 (approx.), and paid $13.00 & $3.70 fixed odds on the NZ TAB.

Bred and owned by Haunui Farm boss and Auckland Thoroughbred Racing deputy chairman Mark Chitty, Francee is out of Group One winner Calveen, who also recorded her biggest win at Ellerslie, winning the Easter Handicap (Gr. 1, 1600m). 

“At the 200 metres she was just starting to wind up and great for the Chitty family, especially Mark, he puts so much into racing, administration wise and all that sort of stuff,” said Mark Walker, who trains with Sam Bergerson.

“She’s been unlucky for a while, so she deserved that. And, I just want to pay tribute to Lachlan Fitt and Cameron Rodger, they’ve done an outstanding job getting us all this prize-money.”

By internationally acclaimed stallion Iffraaj (Zafonic), which shuttled to Haunui Farm, her dam Calveen won ten races and over half a million in stakes, and along with grand-dam Calvinia (Varick) became a very good producer.

Francee, a half-sister to winner of five and Group Three placed Delveen (Encosta de Lago), is the sixth individual winner from Calveen, while Calvinia left nine individual winners of 39 races and over $1.5 million in stakes. 

Francee carries a cross of highly influential stallion Mr. Prospector (Raise A Native), through the sire line of Iffraaj and dam line of Calveen. 

“It’s massive (to win) and we’ve been a big supporter of the Pearl Series,” Chitty said.

“Michael Martin, Peter Francis, Jim Bruford, who designed the Pearl Series concept around getting fillies to the races, and to win the final at $120,000 is amazing.

“This mare has had so much bad luck, being drawn wide she’s had to get back, and it was a great ride from Craig (Grylls). You can see why he’s New Zealand’s leading rider at the moment. 

“To Mark (Walker) and to Sam (Bergerson) and the whole Te Akau team, it’s a fantastic result, what a way to start Champions Day. 

“It’s what we’ve been after to see the place jam packed. The guys from Entain/TAB, NZTR, our own club ATR (Auckland Thoroughbred Racing), and the other clubs, as well, we’ve got Thoroughbred Breeders’ Day here today, and it’s what New Zealand racing is all about.”

Francee was strapped by Rasheed Alam. 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz