Play Philly Earns Classy Group One Shot After Stakes Victory

Play Philly (NZ) (Art Major) rounded off a weekend of standout black-type performances in New Zealand harness racing won by NZB Standardbred graduates after her victory at Addington on Sunday. 

 

The Regan Todd trained two-year-old proved too tough for her rivals at the finish of a hectic running in the $22,500 Group Three Downbytheseaside Leonard Memorial Stakes (2000m).

 

Play Philly’s win earned her a shot at some of New Zealand’s best two-year-old fillies races, including the $150,000 Harness Million Listed 2YO Fillies Pace (1700m) at Alexandra Park on 13 May.

 

“It was a tough win, I thought she might have been a little bit vulnerable with the way the race worked out,” Todd said.

“But she held on really well.

“She will go to Auckland now and have a crack at the big two-year-old fillies races up there.”

In her tough staying performance, Play Philly stopped the clock in 2-26.5 to register the second-fastest ever time recorded in the Cheviot Harness Racing Club’s feature which was first run in 1986.

 

Only former champion filly turned broodmare Venus Serena (NZ) (Mach Three) has clocked a faster time in the 2000m event.

 

Play Philly was an impressive debut winner before she ran an unlucky fourth in her second start after being held up during her run home.

 

The improvement she has shown since hitting the race track means Todd can head north confident that Play Philly will be an even better horse when she lines up next.

 

“The best thing about is that she is getting better all the time.”

“It won’t be easy going up there, she will be racing some really nice fillies, but we won’t know how good she is until she races them.”

 

The association between Play Philly’s owner Scott Elliffe and trainer Regan Todd kicked off to a brilliant start. 

 

Todd and Elliffe had not met before sitting beside each other on the Southern Bred Southern Reared Yearling Sale Tour in 2020.

 

The pair inspected Play Philly when she paraded in Invercargill as part of Denario Breeding’s draft.

 

Elliffe purchased the Art Major filly from smart former race mare Shezaball (NZ) (Presidential Ball) through bloodstock agent Peter Lagan at NZB Standardbred’s 2020 National Yearling Sale in Christchurch for $35,000.

 

Play Philly’s win in the Group Three Downbytheseaside Leonard Memorial Stakes completed a dominant weekend by NZB Standardbred graduates in stakes races across New Zealand.

 

The victory came after Krug (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) took out the $192,000 Group One Northern Derby (2700m) and Montana D J (NZ) (Captaintreacherous) won the $87,000 Group One Breckon Farms Young Guns Cardigan Bay Stakes (1700m), both at Alexandra Park.

 

Vendor	Denario Breeding
Purchaser	Peter Lagan Standardbreds
Breeding	Art Major x Shezaball
Sale	2020 National Yearling Sale, Christchurch, Lot 251, $35,000
Bred by	M P O'Connor and Mrs P M O'Connor