Promising filly Moschino (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) put together two victories in quick succession on Saturday at Matamata, winning the Ancroft Developments (1400m).
The daughter of Ten Sovereigns had been placed in the first four on six occasions before breaking her maiden at Te Rapa on January 31, making her a key player in the MAAT contest worth $40,000. Michael McNab, who went on to ride a treble at the meeting, retained the ride on Moschino for the race and looked in control from the outset, settling in the one-one with Oppenheimer in the pacemaking role.
Moschino was tracking beautifully into the straight and ranged up to the leaders at the 150m, showing plenty of ability to hold off favoured runners Amyer Star and Cypher and win by a long neck.
The filly is trained by Cambridge horsewoman Margaret Falconer, who has always held her in high regard.
“We’ve always really like this filly, she’s just taken a little while to learn,” she said.
“I think her run at Te Rapa gave her a lot of confidence, it was Michael’s first ride on her that day and he had a bit of a plan on how to ride her yesterday, it all came together very well.”
While Moschino won’t have too much more asked of her in her three-year-old term, Falconer has identified the Windsor Park Stud 3YO Trophy (1500m) on Champions Day at Ellerslie as a possible target.
“She won’t do too much more for the season, but I think we will aim for the three-year-old race on Champions Day,” she said.
“I think a step-up in trip will be good for her, and if that field looks suitable, we’ll probably go there.”
Falconer races Moschino under her Ellesmere Thoroughbreds banner, having purchased the filly for $2,700 through gavelhouse.com in March of 2023. Bred by Cambridge Stud, Moschino’s grand-dam is Salsa, who placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and was a stakes winner in Australia for the stable.
“We raced her grandmother, who was Group One-placed for us and won a Listed race in Australia,” Falconer said. “That attracted us to her, we wanted to get back in the family.
“She’s been given time to develop and is a lovely big filly now, she should only keep developing nicely from here.”
