Planet Rock has confirmed her place at the top of the pecking order of New Zealand’s three-year-old fillies with an easy victory in the Eight Carat Classic.
The NZ One Thousand Guineas winner had some quality opposition including previously unbeaten filly Xanadu and Victoria Oaks placegetter Dowager Queen, but made them look second-rate in the Group Two 1600m race at Ellerslie on Monday.
The Australian-bred filly had some work to do to get to the front at the 1000m mark but accelerated away brilliantly in the straight to win easily by one and a half lengths.
“If I had got an easy trip to the front early she probably would have won by three or four lengths,” jockey Hayden Tinsley said.
The victory puts Planet Rock 10 points clear in the Filly of the Year race and trainers Peter and Dawn Williams may give her a chance to extend that lead in the Royal Stakes (2000m) back at Ellerslie on Sunday but said the primary goal was the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) in March.
“The Oaks is the main aim but if she comes through this race well we will have to look at it.”
Testa Secret was runner-up for a second consecutive time in a Fillies Series race, while Secret Admirer ran home well for third.
Xanadu ran well for fifth after drawing wide, tiring in the last 200m after circling the field around the home turn, while Dowager Queen finished ninth.
NZN AAP TURF
