The 3yr-old Darci Brahma filly, out of the former classy mare The Jewel, was far too good over 1200m for her equine rivals, much like the All Blacks were for the Wallabies in Sydney last weekend.
And like the famous team, she also revealed one area to be worked on before she steps out again.
It is not her second-half defence The Precious One needs to shore up, like the All Blacks do when they take on the Wallabies again tonight, but rather her tractability.
That was the only fault her rather impressed jockey, Chris Johnson, could find after he jumped off the filly and said her win, by more than six lengths, was as easy as it looked.
‘‘It was, really. She’s a very nice horse but she was quite green.’’
Wingatui trainer Claire Anderton put The Precious One’s greenness down to her not having had a trial leading into the race.
Anderton expects the filly, who was walking around the birdcage like a seasoned professional before and after her race, to benefit greatly from the experience she gained yesterday.
The Precious One’s inexperience and the trainer’s uncertainty about the filly’s prospects on a heavy11-rated track also meant the win came as somewhat of a bonus.
The race had been ‘‘mainly about getting her around and giving her an outing’’.
Anderton has had a high opinion of the filly for some time, and the win meant the The Precious One took her first step towards the longterm goal of starting in the prestigious New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton in November.
‘‘Each step at a time, but obviously we will pop a nomination in for the 1000 Guineas,’’ Anderton said.
‘‘That is the long-term aim, but there is a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and then.’’
The Neill Ridley-trained Luke took full advantage of not having to race against the North Island’s best winter gallopers to win yesterday’s Oamaru Cup (1600m).
Luke was beaten only by North Island horses when he ran fifth and second behind Nashville in two starts during the recent Grand National carnival at Riccarton.
Rider Kin Kwo had the 6yr-old stalking the leaders, Who Dares Wins and Wise Move, before the home turn. Luke ultimately proved too tough on the puggy Oamaru track.
‘‘He jumped very well and I just trailed the leader until the straight and he gave me everything,’’ Kwo said.
‘‘The last hundred [metres] he got a little bit tired because the track is very gluey.’’
Kwo, who is apprenticed to Ridley, combined with Laaffaire to win race 6 for the stable.
A step back in distance led to Electronic Motion scoring back-to-back wins yesterday.
In his last appearance on the Oamaru track the Aaron Taylor-trained galloper ran last in the Waimate Cup, over 2200m, in June.
Since then Taylor has brought the horse back in trip. Electronic Motion won over 1200m on the last day of the Grand National carnival and again yesterday.
Update for tomorrow’s Taranaki meeting at Pukekura Raceway (weather, fine; track, heavy10; rail out 7m).
Scratching: Race 7, Keen To Keeper.
