True Fantasy (NZ) Scorches to Fifth Group One Title
9 November 2022
True Fantasy (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) turned the $140,000 Group One Nevele R Fillies Series Final (1980m) into a one-act affair to brilliantly notch her fifth victory at an elite level.
The NZB Standardbred graduate never gave her rivals a look in when registering Group One victory number five in front of a packed house at Addington on New Zealand Cup Day.
Owner Jean Feiss purchased the outstanding filly for $70,000 out of the Studholme Bloodstock draft at the 2020 Christchurch National Yearling Sale.
Driver Natalie Rasmussen worked the Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen-trained filly to the front in the early stages and from there she was never going to be caught.
Clearly ranked the best of her age group in New Zealand, True Fantasy was beaten by her stablemate Queen Of Diamonds (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) in the final heat of the Nevele R Fillies Series at Ashburton last month.
The star filly hadn’t started for three weeks before that outing and it was clear she would take good improvement from it.
That run, and the addition of blinds, enabled a fit and firing True Fantasy to show all of her class when dominating the Nevele R Fillies Series Final.
“She had half blinds on today and she was much sharper,” Rasmussen said.
“She just felt like her old self.”
Jean Feiss has an outstanding eye for bloodstock, evident in her selecting True Fantasy from the NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sale in Christchurch.
The Victorian owner recorded her fourth win in the past seven editions of the Group One Nevele R Fillies Series Final with her success on New Zealand Cup Day.
“It is good to have a nice filly,” Feiss said.
Miki Montana (NZ) charged out of the pack to run an outstanding second behind True Fantasy.
Dean Shannon of Montana Park purchased the filly as a weanling from Alabar’s draft at the 2019 Auckland All Aged Sale.
After drawing a tough alley in barrier 12, the Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan trained filly settled a long way off the pace before scorching home for her Group One placing.
Obsession was the hard luck story to come out of the Group One Nevele R Fillies Series Final.
The filly was purchased by Stonewall Stud for $40,000 out of the Highfields Bloodstock draft at the 2020 Auckland National Yearling Sale.
The Steve and Amanda Telfer trained three-year-old was buried in a hopeless spot on the home turn, with driver Tim Williams weaving a path for her to produce an outstanding late burst to take third.
With eight of the 12 starters in the Group One feature, NZB Standardbred graduates dominated the field for the Nevele R Fillies Series Final.
Fernleigh Blackbird (NZ) (He’s Watching) ran on into fourth placing, with Chambray (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) fighting on hard to take fifth position.
| Consignor | Studholme Bloodstock |
| Purchaser | Mrs JL Feiss |
| Breeding | Bettor’s Delight x Secret Notion |
| Sale | 2020 Christchurch Sale, $70,000 |
| Bred by | Studholme Bloodstock & Miss P M Hanley |