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Per Incanto filly Tennessee sits on top of the Karaka Million Order of Entry after she remained unbeaten with her first black type win Saturday’s Listed Wellesley Stakes at Trentham on Saturday.
Making the trip from trainers Stephen McKee and Eddie Chippendale’s Ardmore base, Tennessee was stepping up from her winning debut at Ruakaka six weeks ago.
With two wins from two starts, she is on top of the leaderboard for the $1 million Karaka Million – New Zealand’s richest race – with combined earnings of $39,060.“She can have a couple of weeks off now and when she comes back she can have a run in something like the Eclipse Stakes before the Karaka Million,” commented McKee.
“She’s a natural and that seems a trait of the Per Incantos, they all coming out running. She’s a very fast filly with quite a big stride.”Purchased by Trevor McKee at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2015 Festival Sale for $15,000 from Mapperley Stud, the two-year-old filly’s owners include rugby legend Sir Colin Meads and Pinehaven Racing.
Bred by Mapperley Stud’s Simms Davison, the daughter of Per Incanto is out of the winning O’Reilly mare Bella Carolina.Tennessee’s second dam is a half-sister to G1 winner Dress Circle (Zabeel) and is a full-sister to stakes placegetter Flying Flight (Centaine).
Karaka graduate Xiong Feng (Iffraaj) made a wining debut at Ellerslie over 880m to move to third on the Karaka Million order while What Choux Want (Jimmy Choux) is second after finishing runner-up at Riccarton.