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Sweepstake may have been at long odds when she placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, but her performance came as no surprise to her trainer Mike Breslin.
The Per Incanto filly was making just her fourth race day appearance when she finished a brave third behind the star southerner La Diosa at Riccarton.
“She raced pretty much as I expected and there’s more to come – she’s only lightly raced and she’s still learning,” Breslin said.“She’ll be back in work on December 1 and her main aim will be the New Zealand Oaks and we’ll work her programme back from that.”
Part-owner Breslin has confidence in Sweepstake’s ability to be competitive at 2400 metres.“She’s out of a Carnegie mare, who is a half-sister to the dam of a Wellington Cup winner (Graphic) so she’s got a strong staying pedigree on her dam’s side and we’ll go with that,” he said.
Sweepstake’s mother Lottery is also a half-sister to Lady Annaliese, who ran third in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks before her sale to the United States where she was a stakes winner.Meanwhile, promising stablemate Wafer pleased Breslin with her last-start second behind the talented Lewis Caroll at Waverley where she resumed after a lengthy break.
The winner of the Listed Gore Guineas back in January, the daughter of Alamosa hadn’t raced since she finished fifth at Te Rapa in the autumn.“I was pleased with her run the other day and we’ll just take her along quietly,” Breslin said.
“She’ll have her next couple of runs in her own grade and then we might look at some black type.