Two at Manawatu

Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman and Te Akau stable rider Matt Cameron scored a winning double at Manawatu today - the first win coming with Bronte Lass.

Bronte Lass (5 m Stravinsky - Little Dorritt, by Sadler's Wells) continued to show what a good race mare she is with a brilliant win in the Agriseeds Benchmark 85 1600 metres on Nov. 12 at Awapuni.

Impressive recording her two most recent victories over a mile; in January at Riccarton, and May at Woodville, Bronte Lass sprinted home from well off the pace in 34.4 for the final 600 metres of a mile in 1:36.02.

Settled thirteenth of fourteen in running by jockey Matt Cameron, as a competitive pace ensued, Bronte Lass was locked away ten lengths off the lead at the 600m and once finally clear at the 200m she flew home to win going away by 1 ½ lengths.

Possessing a terrific turn of foot when given the right trip to utilize it, the winner of four races showed in her manner at the line that she is capable of asserting herself at stakes level.

Owned by the Te Akau Bronte Lass Syndicate, she was purchased as a yearling by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $120,000 at the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud, and has both a richness of international bloodlines and quality about her physique to prove competitive at higher levels.

A very genuine mare in her performances, Bronte Lass now boasts a fitting record: 17:4-4-4.

“We've always thought a lot of her and she's never gone a bad race,” said trainer Jason Bridgman. “She has moulded into a mature mare now at full strength, after putting three wins together last season and even when she cleared maidens Lisa Allpress said ‘this is a stakes' quality horse'.

“On the run today, she is certainly not going to be out of place tackling some stakes races this season, even a race like the Rich Hill Mile (Gr. 2, 1600m) [Jan. 1 at Ellerslie] on that sort of run.

“You only had to take a line through her last start when she was beaten a nose by Ringo, when she was a touch outside her comfort zone that day, and Ringo lines up in the Coupland's Mile (Gr. 2, 1600m) on Wednesday [Nov. 13 at Riccarton] which made her look a good thing on paper,” said Bridgman.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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