Talented and well-related filly Blondie (NZ) (Belardo) returned to racing with a dominant front-running performance in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1200m) at Pukekohe on Sunday.
The three-year-old showed real promise with placings in both of her two starts last spring. She was runner-up behind About A Girl at Tauranga in October, with subsequent Group Two winner About Time just behind her in third. In her only other start, Blondie ran a close third behind Tanganyika and Rezeki at Taupo in early November.
After seven months on the sidelines, Blondie caught the eye with a three-length trial win at Pukekohe on June 25. That earned the Lauren Brennan-trained runner $1.60 favouritism for her raceday return on Sunday, and she produced a performance worthy of that strong support.
Driven straight to the lead by jockey Billy Jacobson, Blondie dictated terms in front up to the home turn. Jacobson shook the reins at the top of the straight and Blondie kicked powerfully, quickly moving three or four lengths clear of her nearest rival.
Despite drifting back towards the inside rail through the last 150m, Blondie maintained a commanding lead and crossed the finish line two and a half lengths in front of Flutterbelle.
From three starts, Blondie has now recorded a win and two placings, earning $14,515 for her owner-breeder Greg McCarthy. Blondie was also eligible for the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series bonus that was attached to Sunday’s race.
Out of the winning Stravinsky mare Muriwai, Blondie comes from a quality family built up by McCarthy. His Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) winner Francesca is a daughter of Muriwai’s half-sister Matagouri, while the highly talented multiple Group Three winner Ayrton – who McCarthy retained a share in when he was sold to Australian syndicators Roll The Dice Racing – is out of a half-sister to Blondie’s second dam.
Blondie is a half-sister to the Brennan-trained Sir Sterling, who himself has won three races and has produced a number of notable performances in strong company, including a close and unlucky sixth in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) in January of last year.
“Blondie is a filly that we’ve always had a lot of time for,” Brennan said. “She was a late foal, but when she came into the stable as a two-year-old, she already looked like a three-year-old. She was so well-developed, it was like she was a year above herself.
“She’s quite similar to her half-brother Sir Sterling in that respect – both very strong, well-built horses.
“Blondie showed plenty of ability from the get-go and has done everything we asked, but she had a chip taken out of her knee after those first couple of starts in the spring. That was why she had quite a lengthy spell and we’re only getting her up and going again now. For her to produce that sort of performance first-up today was quite impressive.
“Being by Belardo, she obviously handles wet tracks well, so we’d like to think we could look at a few more races with her in this campaign. We haven’t really delved into it too much yet, we’ll just get her home and see how she comes through this before making any plans.”
