A Meteoric Moment

The second leg of the winning double came with Meteoric Lass ...

Shafiq continued his phenomenal form in the saddle aboard Meteoric Lass (3 f Stratum - Benatar, by Distant Music), making it two from two in the Fortuna colours on 3 May at Waipukurau.

After getting home from back in field aboard Grand Ariana (Snitzel), Shafiq had Meteoric Lass on the pace throughout. Held together when levelling in front around the home turn, she quickly lengthened to a two-length advantage when given her head inside the 300m and proved too good.

Second placed race favourite Thelma (Pins) brought good form to the race, following a strong last start performance on Group One day at Te Aroha, but no match for Meteoric Lass who presented very well beforehand in the birdcage.

In the $10,000 Congratulations Royal Ruby Maiden 1200 metres, Meteoric Lass won by one and a half lengths, in 1:15.8 on Slow8 footing, and her best return was $7.00 & $2.30 fixed odds with the NZ TAB.

Purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $50,000 at the 2016 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Kitchwin Hills, Meteroic Lass is owned by the Fortuna No. 60 Meteoric Lass Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin). She is a sister to dual stakes winner Meteoroid (Northern Meteor), scoring eight times over 1200m/1400m in Australia.

“Mark (Walker) and I were at the sales with Dave (Ellis) when he bought her early in the sale (Lot 60),” said co-trainer Jamie Richards. “She was an okay type, there was certainly nothing wrong with her and sometimes early in the sale, often when people are still feeling their way for the first 100 lots, with the values etc, we picked her up quite cheaply.

“John (Galvin) was keen on her and although she's been a slow maturing type of filly, she's open to further improvement as a four-year-old and it's great that she was able to win first up.

“The horses are in a rich vein of form at the moment, which is good. If it was like that all year it would be easy, but we're trying our best to place them to advantage.

“She'd been okay at the trials, but looked well placed down there today, from a nice barrier, and was given a lovely ride by Shafiq.”

In peak form, Shafiq has won 10 times and placed in eight from 24 rides for the stable, a winning strike rate of 2.4.

“His strike rate with our horses, honestly, it's something else,” Ellis said. “The thing that gives me the biggest thrill is that all the trainers can now see what a great rider he is and even ‘grown a leg' since winning the Travis Stakes on Saturday with Our Abbadean for us.”

Meteoric Lass was strapped by Meg Lambert.

“Meg is doing a great job travelling the horses,” Richards said.
Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz