3 minute read
Flying filly Hollywood Lass is in line to join Tony Pike’s travelling party to the Queensland winter carnival.
The Cambridge filly started a red-hot favourite on debut at Te Aroha on Saturday and the three-year-old spaced her rivals to the delight of her army of admirers.
“That’s the way you want to see them win,” Pike said. “She’s showed us plenty at home so it was nice to see her do it on race day.“I’ll see how she pulls up, but the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes might come up a bit too quickly for her so I might look for another race in her grade and then think about Brisbane.”
Pike has also short-listed his Gr.1 New Zealand Derby winner Rangipo and third placegetter Raghu, fellow talented three-year-olds Slice Of Cake and Provocative, crack sprinter Sacred Star and the smart juvenile Sacred Elixir for the Queensland trip.Hollywood Lass had won both her trials leading into the Te Aroha Liquor Maiden, having accounted for Lewis Caroll, who is unbeaten in both his subsequent race day appearances, in her first outing in November.
“She’s got plenty of natural ability, but she went shin sore after that and then came back and did it nicely again at Matamata,” Pike said.Hollywood Lass was a touch tardy out of the gates on Saturday, but she gathered momentum to lead and when Leith Innes asked her to lengthen stride into the straight she quickly put the issue beyond doubt and strolled home by four and three quarter lengths.
“She was a little bit slow before she mustered speed,” Innes said. “She switched off in front and won easily.”