Amazing Effort Amarelinha

Amarelinha (3 f Savabeel - Hopscotch, by O'Reilly) made amends for a nose margin defeat on debut with an impressive victory in the $10,000 JP & Associates Maiden 1300 metres on Saturday at Ellerslie.

An imposing filly that trainer
Jamie Richards has rated from the outset, while also giving time to strengthen
and develop, Amarelinha had shown her class at the trials before being denied
in a big first-up effort at Awapuni, but she well and truly signalled her
quality on this occasion.

While punters shied away from
investing - drawn barrier 15 - and instead ventured on debutante Dawn Parade
(Dawn Approach) from barrier one, jockey Craig Grylls had Amarelinha one off
the fence in seventh at the 1000m, stood the leader eight lengths at the 600m,
and went past the favourite with a winning burst at the 200m to score easily by
one and half lengths.

Purchased by David Ellis CNZM for
$300,000 at the 2019 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Waikato Stud, and
owned by the Te Akau Hopskip'n'jump Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

“We've got some of our most loyal owners in this filly and I thought she was outstanding,” Ellis said. “It was a hell of a good run and hard not to be impressed.

“It was a beautiful ride by Craig
Grylls to overcome the wide draw and that's just how I like our horses ridden -
find cover in midfield and get home strongly - and she finished off like a
really good filly in the making.

“She looked a filly that could go on and win the Karaka Million 3YO later in January at Ellerslie to me, but Jamie (Richards) will work out the best options for her.”

Her name means 'hopscotch' in Portuguese in a nod to her breeding, and trainer Jamie Richards suggested Amarelinha could next be seen on Boxing Day at Ellerslie, in either the 3YO 1400 metres, or Eight Carat Classic (Gr. 2, 1600m), before the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (Restricted Listed, 1600m) on 23 January.

If there was a surprise in the
result, it was surely the divvy as Amarelinha returned a healthy $5.30 &
$1.70 on the NZ TAB tote, after covering the 1300 metres in 1:17.2, last 600m
35.0, on Dead4 footing.

“She's a filly I rated very highly at the sales and another good horse I've bought from Waikato Stud,” Ellis said. “She was one of only four horses at the yearling sales in 2019 that I gave an "A". Interestingly, two of the others were Need I Say More (No Nay Never) that won the Sarten Memorial, and 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Kahma Lass (Darci Brahma).

“It looks like we bought some
good horses out of the sale that year, including Champion Two-Year-Old Cool Aza
Beel (Savabeel), and a few other promising horses, so it's exciting for
everyone involved.”

Amarelinha is from the family of Rosehill
Guineas (Gr. 1, 2000m) winner Metal Bender (Danasinga), a son of grand-dam
Jacqwin (Bluebird). Metal Bender won nine races in Australia, and the title of
top Australian 3YO in his year, while Jacqwin has left seven individual winners
of 22 races. Her sire, Bluebird (Storm Bird), is a high quality influence in
any pedigree, but represented by only a select band of mares in New Zealand.

“She's a filly we've got a lot of
time for,” said leading trainer Jamie Richards. “David (Ellis) paid a bit of
money for her at the Karaka Sales, but she was an absolutely beautiful filly.

“By our Champion Sire Savabeel,
the first foal out of a young O'Reilly mare, and we really liked her because
she reminded us of Probabeel.

“Through this win in good order,
we should see her racing again on Boxing Day at Ellerslie, and hopefully
onwards and upwards to the Karaka Million Mile.”

Amarelinha was strapped by Sam
Bergerson.

“Sam is a great young man that
helped out here at the stud during lockdown when we had all the racing team
home spelling,” Ellis said.

“A win like this with a promising filly is great for the whole team, from those who broke her in here at the stud to those who look after her in the Middle Barn at Matamata. All the team has been working so very hard and it's brilliant to see all their amazing effort paying off.”

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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