Waikato Stud homebred Daffodil will be reunited with jockey Hugh Bowman in the G1 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill this Saturday.  The Kiwi mare won the G1 AJC Oaks with Bowman aboard to climax her first Australian campaign in April 2009.  

Daffodil (4m No Excuse Needed – Spring by O’Reilly) was a brilliant first-up winner over 1100m at New Plymouth on February 20 and was then placed behind NZ Horse of the Year Mufhasa and Vosne Romanee in the G1 Otaki Classic over 1600m.  The runner-up franked the form with a subsequent victory in the G1 NZ Stakes at Ellerslie.

Daffodil has notched 8 wins and 11 placings from 24 starts.  She was a G1 winner of the NZ 1000 Guineas in November 2008 and her best efforts last spring were rewarded with a G1 triumph in the Windsor Park Plate at Hastings and a fourth in the G1 Caulfield Cup.  She was beaten three lengths by Viewed, Roman Emperor and Vigor at Caulfield after striking interference twice in transit.

Daffodil is trained by Kevin Gray at Palmerston North for Waikato Stud’s Chittick family.  “She looks amazing,” Mark Chittick said before the mare crossed the Tasman on Monday night.  “She will run in the Ranvet and then the BMW a fortnight later.”

Daffodil is by Waikato Stud’s Machiavellian sire No Excuse Needed from Spring, a winning half-sister to G1 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Good Faith (Straight Strike).

“Her form this time in has been beyond our expectations,” Chittick said.  “She is pure class and is just a wonderful mare to be a part of.  Kevin’s done a fantastic job with her.  Anybody that gets a horse like this to race is very, very fortunate.”

Before Daffodil, Chittick’s distinctive white, green and royal blue colours were carried to Group 1 wins in Australia by Glamour Puss.  The Tale of the Cat mare won the Goodwood Hcp at Morphettville and the Salinger Stakes at Flemington in 2005.

Daffodil is on the third line of Ranvet betting at $8 behind the favourites Theseo (Danewin) and Rangirangdoo (Pentire).