Winner: Paper Moon Marvellous

Given a great ride by Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz, Paper Moon (3 f Savabeel – Kansas, by O’Reilly) won the $17,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Maiden Fillies & Mares 1200 metres (eligible $26,000 bonuses) on 27 May at Riccarton (poly-track).

Having successfully ridden for Te Akau in Singapore, before racing ceased in October 2024 after 180 years, Queiroz (25) came to New Zealand. He guided Francee (Iffraaj) to victory in the Listed Rangitkei Cup for the stable, which provided trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson with their 18th stakes' win last season, and he has now piloted 18 winners for the stable.

While this season, Queiroz has gained stakes wins for Te Akau aboard Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) in the Group 3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m), Perlino (Super Seth) in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m), and Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) in the Group 3 Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) – a Group One winning filly that just on Tuesday this week realised A$1.5 million at the Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale.  

Placed two from two over 1200 metres and having finished well out of midfield for second in the Maiden 1200 metres on 2 May at Riccarton (turf), Paper Moon brought the right form to rate a top three chance if appreciative of poly-track at her first attempt and with luck from a wide draw (10).

Both queries were answered, as Paper Moon overcame the draw to find a perfect position in fourth on the outer and given her head at the 200m she found plenty in the run to the line.

On the poly-track, Paper Moon ran 1200 metres in 1:09.9 and paid $2.90 & $1.40 on the NZ TAB tote.

In the process of winning, Paper Moon provided her owners in the Te Akau I Kan Win Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM) with a $20,000 Pearl Series Bonus in addition to the $9,520 winning stake.

The trainers also received $1,000 under the Pearl Series Structure, while notching their 131st win this season, as premiership leaders, to equal the total they recorded when winning the sixth consecutive Champion Trainer title for Te Akau Racing last season.

“She’d shown the potential to win and really good to see her deliver for the owners today,” Walker said.

“She’s been steadily getting there and improving with experience and maturity, and Hunter (Durrant) and the team have got her going well and it was a really good ride of Bruno’s.

“The draw looked sticky, but he was able to get across into a lovely position and from there it always looked like she was going to be competitive.

“She’s only a three-year-old filly, got the win at her seventh start, and she has a lovely pedigree to stick with her as she goes on.

“The owners can be proud of the way she stepped up to win and I think with the confidence she gains out of winning that it should serve her well up in the next grade.”

On course, assistant trainer Hunter Durrant said: “Her work suggested she was going to break Maidens fairly quickly, but she’s a filly that has taken a bit of time to put everything together on race day and around the stables.

“The trip down from Matamata to the stable here has really made her grow up. She settled lovely in behind them, cruised up to the leaders, and it was a pretty comfortable watch.

“She’s a filly that we’ll take our time with and let her mature nicely.”

Bred on the highly successful Savabeel/O’Reilly cross, and a trial winner among three outings before having one start as a two-year-old, Paper Moon was purchased by David Ellis CNZM for $210,000 at the 2023 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Waikato Stud.

The “magic” cross has included Te Akau bought and trained Group One winners Amarelinha, one of eight NZB Filly of the Year winners for the stable, Embellish, who stands at Cambridge Stud, and The Perfect Pink, trained for Tony Rider (Milan Park).

At the time of purchase, Ellis said: “To buy a filly of this quality for such a good value price is very satisfying and we’ve had plenty of success with this incredible cross and the Savabeel progeny in generals.

“He (Savabeel) has been our Champion Sire 10-times now. His stakes’ producing record is approaching that of his Champion Sire Zabeel (Sir Tristram) and his daughters a hotly in demand as broodmares. 

“He’s a wonderful sire, as was the dam sire O’Reilly (Last Tycoon), and it’s blood that is respected globally.”

Paper Moon was strapped by Katie Dennett.

Photo credit - Ajay Berry - www.raceimages.co.nz