Paul Makin bought G1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl in England this week and his NZ based filly We Can Say It Now helped pay the purchase price when she landed the G1 Levin Classic at Otaki on Friday.

We Can Say It Now (3f Starcraft – We Can’t Say by Generous) cruised up on the home turn and then surged clear to win by three-quarters of a length from Blinding (Black Minnaloushe).  Her stablemate Lady Kipling (Savabeel) was third home ahead of Queen Of Pop (Pins) and front-runner Hammer Down (O’Reilly).

“She’s a super filly and we’ve rated her from day one,” co-trainer Bjorn Baker said.  “We’re very grateful to have the horses for Paul Makin.  He’s a big owner and he’s stuck by us.  It’s a great pleasure to train a lovely filly like this for him.”

Makin and his wife Lyndall race under the Paulyn Investments banner and they bought Gilt Edge Girl privately before she was scheduled to go under the hammer at the Tattersalls December Sale this coming Monday.

Besides her Group 1 triumph at Longchamp last month, Gilt Edge Girl (Monsieur Bond) also won the G3 Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown and Listed Lansdown Stakes at Bath.

The Makins raced Starcraft to G1 victories in NZ, Australia, England and France before retiring him to Arrowfield Stud.  We Can Say It Now is his second at Group 1 level following Star Witness (MRC Blue Diamond Stakes & VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes).

The Levin Classic gave Arrowfield its second Group 1 in NZ this season following King’s Rose (Redoute’s Choice) who won the NZ 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 13.

And Cambridge based trainers Murray and Bjorn Baker also celebrated a Group 1 double at Otaki.  They prepared Lion Tamer (Storming Home) for a runaway win VRC Victoria Derby on October 30.

We Can Say It Now will also be given the chance to double up at the elite level in the Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham on December 4.

The strapping filly had won her maiden at Matamata in May and returned this season to win the Listed Sarten Memorial Stakes at Te Rapa on October 25.  She started a short-priced favourite in the NZ 1000 Guineas on November but was on the wrong end of a rough-house affair.

We Can Say It Now is a homebred for the Makins.  Her dam We Can’t Say won the 2005 R M Ansett Stakes at Mornington and was retired after winning at Flemington on Anzac Day the following year.