The first Group 1 race in Australia for the new season has attracted a phenomenal field, with seven Group 1 winners among the 14-horse line-up for the Group 1 A$500,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday.
Five of those seven Group 1 winners are New Zealand-bred, and four of them are graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock sales.
Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire) rose to stardom last November with his stunning victory in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup. He was purchased by John Foote Bloodstock for $50,000 at the 2011 Premier Sale.
A $45,000 Select Sale purchase by Rick Connolly Bloodstock, Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock) won twice at Group 1 level last season, claiming the Victoria Derby in Melbourne in the spring and the Rosehill Guineas in Sydney in the autumn.
Another son of Tavistock, Tavago (NZ), was a runaway winner of the Group 1 Australian Derby at Randwick. He was a $60,000 purchase by Craig Oldfield at the 2014 Premier Sale.
Rising Romance (NZ) (Ekraar) has proven her class at Group 1 level in the past, finishing second in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup in 2014.
Reigning NZB Filly of the Year Sofia Rosa (NZ) (Makfi) won two stakes races in her homeland, was second in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks and then ended her three-year-old campaign with victory in the Group 1 Australian Oaks in Sydney. She was a $65,000 purchase by Bruce Perry Bloodstock at the 2014 Select Sale.
The other Group 1 winners in this year's NZB Memsie Stakes field are the Darren Weir-trained pair of Palentino (Teofilo), who won the Australian Guineas at Flemington, and the Goodwood Handicap victor Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars).
The chances aren't limited to those seven stars, with the likes of Lord Of The Sky (Danerich), Alpine Eagle (High Chaparral), Mahuta (Flying Spur) and Tally (Street Cry) also boasting impressive credentials.
The Group 1 NZB Memsie Stakes is the second leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Spring Weight-for-Age Championship, which is comprised of the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m), the Group 1 NZB Memsie Stakes (1400m), the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) and the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m).
With A$1.8 million in stakes up for grabs over the four-race series, the ultimate winner of the Championship will receive trophies to the value of $15,000.
The winner of Saturday's race will be awarded 10 points, with points given back to eighth place.
At the top of the current leaderboard for the NZB Caulfield Spring WFA Championship is Miss Rose De Lago (Encosta De Lago), sitting on 10 points after her victory in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes.
The New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes will be held as Race 7 and is scheduled to run at 4.10pm AEST.
NZB Release
