Aldebaran Floss (NZ) Stamps Her Class in Trotting Oaks Win

Aldebaran Floss (NZ) (Muscle Mass) passed her toughest career test with flying colours when sprinting to victory in the Group Two $50,000 What The Hill New Zealand Trotting Oaks (1980m) at Addington on Friday night. 

 

The NZB Standardbred graduate charged along the passing lane with a powerful finish for driver Colin De Filippi, handing trainer Murray Alfeld his first victory in a black-type race.

 

Aldebaran Floss also charged towards the top of New Zealand’s three-year-old trotting ranks with her victory, which came in her first test in a group race.

 

Aldebaran Floss was purchased by Canterbury owner Stephen Swain for $25,000 from Rosedale Farm’s draft at the 2019 National Yearling Sale in Christchurch.

 

It was not just the filly, who was bred by prominent Australasian breeders Aldebaran Lodge, having her first start in a group event.

 

Swain syndicated the trotter amongst his family, with his parents Eddie and Sandra, brother Brad and sister Anna Hudson joined him in the ownership.

 

And on Friday night, Eddie and Sandra Swain continued a brilliant introduction to racehorse ownership when tasting success in one of New Zealand’s biggest races for three-year-old trotting fillies after their first ever racehorse stormed home to victory. 

 

“Mum and Dad have never had a horse before, so it is pretty cool for them to have a horse of this calibre,” Swain said.

 

Alfeld and DeFilippi had done an excellent job of preparing Aldebaran Floss for her New Zealand Oaks tilt by giving her a solid grounding in the lower grades.

 

The three-year-old had produced brilliantly consistent form before taking her reputation to a new level on Friday night.

 

“We have never really been working towards anything, but we just thought we would see how she would go,” Swain said.

“She had shown pretty good form, so we chucked her in the Oaks and it was pretty exciting to see her get the win.”

 

Swain credited Alfeld for selecting Aldebaran Floss for purchase at NZB Standardbred’s National Yearling Sale.

 

The filly’s pedigree is packed full of trotting stars bred by the late Carl Middleton and wife Heather.

Aldebaran Floss’ dam Another Love (NZ) (Love You) is a full sister to two-time trotting Derby winner and Two and Three-Year-old New Zealand Trotter of the Year, Enghien (NZ) (Love You).

 

Expertly handled by DeFilippi, Aldebaran Floss stormed home along the inner to win Friday night’s feature by a neck in a winning time of 2-28.7.

 

Vendor	Rosedale Farm
Purchaser	Stephen Swain
Breeding	Muscle Mass – Another Love
Sale	Lot 179, 2019 Christchurch National Yearling Sale, $25,000
Bred by	Aldebaran Lodge