Millwood Bliss (NZ) Shows Class in Fresh Up Group Three Win

Millwood Bliss (NZ) (Sweet Lou) added to her brilliant record with an authoritative win in the A$50,000 Group Three J L Raith Memorial (1609m) at Menangle on Miracle Mile night.

The NZB Standardbred graduate overcame starting from the outside of the front line to deliver a powerful fresh-up victory for trainer-driver Brad Hewitt.

Millwood Bliss was purchased for $20,000 by Steve Witte at the 2022 National Yearling Sale at Christchurch when she was offered among the Dancingonmoonlight draft.

The classy filly trialled well in New Zealand for trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer before being purchased by prominent Australian owner Mick Boots.

Millwood Bliss impressed in her first campaign in Australia, winning three races before going on to run third in the Group One Australasian Breeders Crown (2240m) at Melton in November.

The three-year-old stepped out for the first time since that grand effort on Saturday night and she didn’t let Hewitt down.

“She is just a little sweetheart, she just goes out and gets the job done,” the trainer-driver said.

Drawing barrier 10 was clearly no help for Millwood Bliss on Saturday night, but Hewitt was forced to press forward and put the red-hot favourite into the race early.

“It was always going to be the case, you can’t go all the way back to last in fields like that.”

“I was lucky to get in early and get a bit of cover.”

“They made us do a bit of work but she did it really nice.”

Despite having to make his winning run a little earlier than he would have liked, Hewitt didn’t have to ask his star filly to get too serious in the run home.

“She was still doing it nice and easy, I didn’t pull the plugs on her.”

“I didn’t want to knock her around, she came in on a bit of a shortened prep but you try to look after them as best you can.”

Hewitt will now time his run into the Group One New South Wales Oaks (2300m) at Menangle with Millwood Bliss.

“That will be the next main target, she will probably have a week or so in the paddock now and freshen up.”

“We have two months or so until the Oaks is on, so we have plenty of time up our sleeve.”

“We will come back and have a start or two before the heats.”

Millwood Bliss wasn’t the only NZB Standardbred graduate to shine at Menangle on Miracle Mile night.

(Its) Merlin (NZ) (Art Major), Hot And Treacherous (NZ) (Captaintreacherous) and Manhattan (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) each ran to victories on the big night of racing.

Placings behind Manhattan from Braeview Kelly (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) and Illavabubbles (NZ) (Always B Miki) helped fill an NZB Standardbred trifecta in the Baby Bling Stakes (1609m).

Cantfindabettorman (NZ) (Sweet Lou), (Always B Miki), Minos (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight), Rocknroll Doo (NZ) (Rock N Roll Heaven) and Sooner The Bettor (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) also produced very meritorious placings on a huge night of racing.