The Duchess Rules

Duchess Kate (3 f Savabeel - Royal Prize, by Prized) made it a hat-trick for Te Akau with three winners from three starters, with a tenacious performance in the $70,000 Wellfield Desert Gold Stakes (Gr. 3, 1600m) on Saturday January 30 at Trentham.

Recording the sixth stakes' win this season for premiership leading trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards, Duchess Kate joined Smashing (Pins) and Heroic Valour (Fastnet Rock) as winners earlier in the day.

The sister to Eight Carat Classic (Gr. 2, 1600m) and Royal Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m) winner Saavoya (Savaabeel), Duchess Kate is bred and owned by Max Whitby and scored her third win from only seven starts.

Concerns regarding a wide draw were quickly forgotten when Duchess Kate made a flyer to be second, before steadying to fourth at the 1100m. To avoid being pocketed, jockey Matt Cameron was forced to advance from the 600m, which meant being involved in a duel from the 400m and with grim resolve she gained an upper-hand inside the final 100m.

“She put herself right there and the plan was to ride her where she was comfortable, and she seemed pretty comfortable the way she stepped out of the gates,” said Cameron.

“She travelled nicely and she really found the line; she's tough.  She still has a few quirks but with more racing the better she will be.

“Max (Whitby) has done a lot for everybody and Stephen (Autridge) has had a lot of horses for him so it's good to payback people that do a lot for racing,” said Cameron.

Following the late scratching of race favourite Capella (Rip Van Winkle), Duchess Kate deservedly shortened in the market to return $7.30 & $2.70, running the mile on dead going in a respectable 1:36.9.

From the outset, when sixth to stable-mate Scrutinize (Savabeel) on debut as a two-year-old at Matamata, to dashing home for a smart Maiden win in October at Taupo, Duchess Kate has possessed the necessary talent to mix it with the best fillies of her age and a further step up in distance is expected to suit in the $100,000 Cambridge Stud Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (Gr. 2, 2000m) on February 13 at Te Rapa.

Duchess Kate is a granddaughter of Eva Grace (Vice Regal) who won eleven races and while her forte was around the mile she scored her greatest success in the 1985 Avondale Cup (Gr. 1, 2200m), as well as finishing second to Bonecrusher (Pag-Asa) in a weight-for-age Group Two 2000 metres at Te Rapa.

“She pinged the machine and Matt (Cameron) got her to relax, so gee she's been very tough,” said Jamie Richards.

“She's been very tough from day one; Paul Pertab broke her in, Stevie (Autridge) brought her with him when he joined the team and it's great to have a really good filly for Max.   She's a filly on the way up and Max and Steve are good buddies, so all we're really chuffed for them,” added Richards. 

Duchess Kate joined an illustrious list of fillies to have won the Desert Gold Stakes, and became the second for Te Akau after the champion Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago) scored in 2007.

Duchess Kate was strapped by Daniel Miller.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.com

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