Kiwi fillies set to test themselves in Vinery Stud Stakes showdown

Two runners, Ohope Wins and Belle Cheval, who have been attracting attention in New Zealand in recent times, are set to flex their muscle in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes over 2000m at Rosehill on Saturday.

Ohope Wins was superbly handled by the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott training partnership in New Zealand, where the Ocean Park filly won three of her six starts, with those win coming in succession in the Group 2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes over 2000m, the Group 2 Keryn Ellis Stakes and the Group 1 NZ Oaks, taking a step-up in distance in each of those starts … from 2000m, to 2100m to 2400m … in impressive style … with those results leaving her undefeated at Stakes level.

The three-year-old has since been transferred to the Chris Waller stable where she has had one trial … a warm-up, hit-out over 1050m … and is progressing well as she prepares to take the next step in her career.

“She’s settled in really well. Andrew and Lance have done a fantastic job with her and they have been great to deal with since we have taken her over,” Waller told Weigh In.

“She’s had a pretty straight forward fortnight. She’s settled in well … she is in the same barn as Autumn Glow. We haven’t fussed over her, or anything like that.

“We’ve seen some good things. She had a couple of quiet gallops. She had a trial. James (McDonald) was aboard her. He was impressed with her.

“She’ll run in the Vinery on Saturday. It’s a very good field but, yeah, she is doing well. She’s got something about her.”

For her part, Belle Cheval comes into the Vinery with the same record of three wins from her six starts in New Zealand, the difference being that Group 3 is the highest level she has won at and she has done that twice … in the Almanzor Trophy over 1200m and the Uncle Remus Stakes over 1400m.

She was denied a hat-trick of wins last time when finishing second to the all-conquering Well Written in the NZB Kiwi over 1500m in a run that, while not bringing victory, further enhanced her reputation.

Ohope comes into the Vinery with four weeks in between runs. Belle Cheval is three weeks between runs.