Due Diligence: First Place and First Points

Due Diligence: First Place and First Points

Due Diligence delivered on her outstanding looks to shoot away with victory in Saturday's $150,000 Group 2 Cambridge Stud Sir Tristram 3YO Fillies Classic (2000m), the eighth event in the ten-race New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series.

Given an absolute peach of a ride by Chad Ormsby, Due Diligence (Danasinga - My Amazing Grace, by Siege Perilous) found the fence just 100m into the running after jumping from barrier 15. Ormsby stuck close to the paint around the entire Te Rapa racetrack, receiving the rails run in the straight after waiting patiently for the field to roll off the inside. The gaps appeared, and the rich bay mare balanced up and kicked clear before any of the action down the outside involving the fast-finishing Glamorous Girl (Thorn Park), Puttanesca (Bertolini), and Alagant Satin (Al Akbar) realised what hit them.

Due Diligence is raced by Ona Bender Syndicate, a group of friends who attended Canterbury University together, along with Mapperly Stud whose colours are worn by the filly on raceday. Trained by Andrew Scott in Matamata, she was purchased at the 2007 Karaka Select Yearling Sale from Fairdale Stud by Lance O'Sullivan on behalf of the syndicate for $50,000.

Due Diligence is the second stakes winner left by My Amazing Grace, the other being Singapore Derby hero Dreyfuss (Oregon). My Amazing Grace has produced a yearling filly by Howbaddouwantit since Due Diligence, and unfortunately died in 2008 due to foaling implications when producing a filly by young Cambridge Stud sire Lucky Unicorn (Redoute's Choice). The now weanling filly was saved however and will be retained by her breeders, Tom Fraser and Fairdale Stud, who also bred Due Diligence, now amongst the leading chances in the Group 1 NZ Oaks on 14 March.

The win gave Due Diligence eight points in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, her first points of the Series, which takes her to seventh place on the 2008-09 points table.

Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas winner Daffodil (No Excuse Needed - Spring, by O'Reilly) holds onto the Series lead with 15 points from Puttanesca (Bertolini - Tesoro, by Prized) on 14.5 points after she finished superbly for third place, and two points.

The penultimate race of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series is the Group 3 Lowland Stakes over 2100m on February 28 where six points will be on offer to the winner.

Click here for the full New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year points table.

ENDS

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