Fine Romance (NZ) had been beaten as an odds-on favourite three times in a row last year but she was served up in red figures again at Pinjarra on Thursday.

The Peters Investments homebred made sure it was straightforward enough when stepping up to mile for the first time under Willie Pike in the Treloar Transport Maiden (1600m).  She sat in the box-seat and, after a brief skirmish with front-runner Hart Trader (Rommel), forged clear to score by a length.

They finished the best part of six lengths ahead of the rest and that’s a positive pointer in itself for the runner-up going forward this season.

Fine Romance is a daughter of So You Think (NZ) and the breakthrough came within a week of the Coolmore Stud champion siring Midnight Blue to win the G2 Perth Cup for Peters Investments.

Bob & Sandra Peters have also used So You Think to breed Pure Romance.  She has won four races, been placed four times in black-type company and was fourth home behind her stablemate on New Year’s Day.

Fine Romance was one of a half-dozen horses that were moved from Grant & Alana Williams to Hayden Ballantyne at the start of this season.  “They’re all immaculately-bred and I’m super excited,” the former Fremantle Dockers star said shortly after the transfer.  “For Mr Peters to send us some horses is something I’m really stoked with and hopefully we can get the job done.”

The intake also included untested gallopers by Frosted, Savabeel, Al Mahar, Shocking and Vancouver.

Fine Romance is the first foal of Paris Romance (Redoute’s Choice) who climbed no further than a York maiden win on debut in September 2015.

Her second-dam Lady Belvedere (Royal Academy) won at Listed level in a Colonel Reeves Stakes and Australia Day Stakes at Ascot and back a further remove GB-bred mare So Stunning (Shirley Heights) also foaled Old Nick to win the G1 Kingston Town Classic carrying the cerise and white silks in 1998.