Four confirmed candidates for the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) had their final dress rehearsal in the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, and a classy performance by Sethito (NZ) (Super Seth) put a spring in the step of her connections and slot-holders.
Bred and raced by Waikato Stud patriarch Garry Chittick, Sethito was selected to represent Waikato Thoroughbred Racing’s slot after an impressive run of form that started with a six-length Rotorua maiden win in November. She followed that up with another win in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) and a second placing, beaten by a half-head, in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m).
The Super Seth filly had a 58-day gap between the Eight Carat on Boxing Day and Saturday’s Uncle Remus, but trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott had her spot-on for the $110,000 assignment.
Sethito added a new string to her bow in the Uncle Remus Stakes, settling further back than usual in fourth place for jockey Sam Spratt as Vegas Queen, Dealt With and Archaic Smile showed the way.
Dealt With cruised past Vegas Queen at the top of the straight and took command, opening up a clear lead with 200m to run. But Spratt went to work on Sethito and she responded, accelerating smartly and eating into Dealt With’s advantage.
Even though Dealt With showed no sign of stopping, Sethito drew alongside him and collared him in the final 50m to win by a long neck. Dealt With took second by a nose from Tardelli, with another length back to the winner’s stablemates Checkmate and Hankee Alpha.
“Sethito hadn’t been anywhere for a little while, so it was very good to see her do that today,” O’Sullivan said.
“Shortly after straightening for home, I thought she might be struggling to catch the leader, but then she really picked up and found the line well.
“We’re certainly well pleased with how she’s tracking. She looked reasonably forward today, forward enough that the run wasn’t going to hurt her, but she should certainly go on from this.
“Heading into the NZB Kiwi, I think she has a couple of factors in her favour. She’s got good tactical speed, and also she gets around Ellerslie particularly well. So that’s a couple of very strong points for her.”
Sethito is by exciting Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth, who was New Zealand’s leading first-season sire last season and tops the second-season standings in 2024-25. His daughter La Dorada has recently won the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and last Saturday’s Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The dam of Sethito, meanwhile, is the two-time Melbourne Group One winner Suavito.
From six starts, Sethito has now recorded three wins, two second placings and $194,595 in stakes. She is poised to add significantly to that total on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8, with the TAB now rating her an $8 chance for the richest three-year-old race in the southern hemisphere.
Australian raider Evaporate is the $2.80 favourite after a bold fourth in Saturday’s Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) against older horses at Caulfield, where he was beaten by less than two lengths by Mr Brightside. The others in single figures are Damask Rose ($6), Checkmate ($8) and Perfumist ($8).
O’Sullivan was also more than satisfied by Saturday’s strong-finishing efforts by Checkmate and Hankee Alpha. Checkmate will represent O’Sullivan and Scott’s Wexford Stables slot in the NZB Kiwi, while Hankee Alpha was on Saturday announced as Auckland Thoroughbred Racing’s runner.
“Both Checkmate and Hankee Alpha ran super races,” O’Sullivan said. “Hankee Alpha got home very well late. We’re very pleased with all of those three heading towards the big one, so now we’ve just got to hang in there for another two weeks.”
Spratt was impressed with Sethito’s versatility.
“That was a really good performance,” she said. “She has a lot of speed, but I said to Lance before the race that we probably don’t have to lead. She jumped quite well, but I quickly decided that I’d have to do too much work to try to cross them and get to the front. She’s very tractable.
“I got her out into the clear at the top of the straight and I wasn’t sure whether we’d be able to catch Dealt With, but then she quickened and got there easily. I think going a bit further in the NZB Kiwi is going to suit her even better. Hopefully we can come away with the same result – we’ve just got to hope for a decent draw.”