Smoulder scored a brave victory in the G2 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic at Ellerslie despite a wide gate and a gamble on her fitness.  

Racing over 1600m after a six-week break, the Graeme and Mark Sanders trained filly defeated Banchee (Oratorio) by a head.  Annie Higgins (O’Reilly) filled third place another three-quarters of a length away.

“She is a brave filly who always produces an honest effort and gives it her all,” Graeme Sanders said.  “She has not had a lot of luck in some of her previous races but she is a class filly.”

Smoulder (Traditionally) had not been to the races since her third placing behind King’s Rose and Twilight Savings in the G1 NZ Bloodstock 1000 Guineas on November 13.

She is from the Graeme Rogerson trained Stravinsky filly Flying Firebird who was a Listed winner of the Ottawa Stakes at Flemington and she also won a Wellington Boot in NSW.  A Bachelor Duke – Flying Firebird filly will be offered in the 2011 NZB Select Yearling Sale at Karaka.

The Eight Carat Classic was the fifth leg of NZ Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series and Smoulder’s win puts her in second place on 8 points behind King’s Rose (Redoute’s Choice) on 18 points.

The next leg of NZB Filly of the Year Series is the $100,000 G2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.