Rasa Lila has been retired without a top-flight
victory to her credit, but those closest to her have no doubt that only bad
luck denied her the perfect breeding CV.
"She was such a good horse and it's a real shame she didn't win a Group One –
she was definitely good enough to," said Julia Ritchie, who trained the Darci
Brahma mare with Steven Ramsay.
Last year's Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham had loomed as Rasa Lila's big
opportunity to break through at the highest level, only to have it snatched
away days before the event.
"I can honestly say I had never been so confident of winning a race and then
she got colic on the Monday afternoon," Ritchie said.
"It was heart-breaking really. After that we were chasing our tail with her in
those last two races."
Rasa Lila resumed in the autumn with a respectable sixth in the Gr.1 New
Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes and she then finished a close seventh in
the Gr.1 Travis Stakes.
"She's a beautiful mare, a really neat horse and retired 100 per cent sound. We
hope she leaves some lovely babies," Ritchie said.
Bred and raced by Sir Peter Vela, Rasa Lila won seven races including the Gr.2
Travis Stakes and the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes and she was Group One placed in the
Windsor Park Plate and the Easter Stakes.
She is the third member of the stable to be retired to Pencarrow Stud's
broodmare paddock this season.
"Silver Eclipse and Dark And Stormy are also there now so we are in a
rebuilding stage," Ritchie said.
Two multiple winners in the team who will be in action in the new season are
Sopraffina and Quintessentially.
"They are both back in work, they've done about five weeks," Ritchie said.
"Sopraffina will be out first, Quintessentially needs better tracks, and she
might go to the South Island to try and get some black type at the cup
carnival." – NZ Racing Desk.