Exciting summer prospect Volpe Veloce ensured that not all the focus on the females was at Riccarton in New Zealand on Saturday.
The quality daughter of Foxwedge stretched her unbeaten sequence to four, and her second consecutive success at Tauranga, when she produced a commanding performance to triumph in the Mainfreight Transport Tauranga 3YO.
Had things gone her way earlier in the season, Volpe Veloce would also have been down south for the Group I gavelhouse.com NZ 1000 Guineas, but missed runs and heavily rain-affected tracks counted her out of classic contention.
“That’s just the way it goes sometimes,” trainer Graham Richardson said. “Now, we just want to get as many points as possible in the Filly of the Year series.”
To that end, Volpe Veloce will make her next appearance at Awapuni on December 10.
“She’s going to run in the Eulogy Stakes and then back up to Ellerslie, all going well, for the Eight Carat Classic,” Richardson said.
On Saturday, Volpe Veloce was given another economical run behind the pace by regular partner Johnathan Parkes, who had her off the fence 600 metres from home.
They challenged three wide at the top of the straight and under an easy ride the filly coasted clear to win by two and a quarter lengths.
“I was a bit more relaxed than I was for her first-up run,” Richardson said. “She was on the toe because she hadn’t raced for so long. Johnathan said she pulled up today like she hasn’t had a race.”
A $240,000 Karaka yearling purchase from the Lyndhurst Farm draft, Volpe Veloce was a successful pinhook for Lyndhurst having been bought for $120,000 from the Newgate Farm draft at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
She is a half-sister to stakes-winner Delago Bolt and is the fourth winner from Group III winner Bardego.