Spellbinder on Show

Group One placed Spellbinder (3 f O'Reilly - Scenic Sprint, by Scenic) is scheduled to have an exhibition gallop between race on (12:40pm) and race two (1:15pm) this Friday 1 August at Avondale. At this stage, a replay will be televised at 1:10pm in the lead up to race two on Trackside.

An athlete in every respect, Spellbinder was an astute purchase of $60,000 by Te Akau principal David Ellis at the 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Sale, from the draft of Mapperley Stud.  To date she has won $166,810 - eclipsing her purchase price by over $100,000.

Already the winner of four and placed three times, from only eight starts, Spellbinder showed when winning by more than three lengths on debut that she was a classy filly. Next time out, she turned the Soliloquy Stakes (Listed, 1400m) into a procession when winning by six and a half lengths. Runner-up in the Sarten Memorial (Gr. 3, 1400m), she then finished third to stable-mate and subsequent NZB Filly of the Year Costa Viva (Encosta De Lago) in the 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m).

Following a break, Spellbinder came back to win fresh up over 1200 metres in January. She then won the Karaka 3YO Mile (Listed, 1600m) in spectacular fashion on Karaka Million night and franked the form stepping up in distance for second in the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (Gr. 2, 2000m).

A force to be reckoned with fresh up, she is scheduled to commence racing in the weight-for-age Foxbridge Plate (Gr. 3, 1200m) on Aug. 16 at Te Rapa. All going well, she would then contest the Makfi Challenge Stakes (Gr. 1, 1400m), also under weight-for-age conditions, on Aug. 30 at Hastings.