Three-year-old filly Grail Seeker powered through the centre of the pack to score a dominant victory in the G2 Wellington Guineas over 1,400m at Trentham on Saturday, 16 March.
The daughter of former Darley shuttle sire Iffraaj beat Witz End by a widening 2.8 lengths, with a half-length back to New Millennium in third place.
Grail Seeker ran the distance in 1:23.74 to secure her first Stakes win and take her record to two wins and four placings from eight starts.
Ridden by Kyle Wilson-Taylor and co-trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Matamata, Grail Seeker was bred and offered by Jamieson Park at the 2022 Karaka Yearling Sale.
Out of the Australian mare Starwish, who is also the dam of Listed winner Deep Image, the filly was bought by Kakapo Lodge for NZ$130,000.
This season Iffraaj has sired Nibras Passion, winner of the Listed The President Cup (1,400m) in Abu Dhabi plus Perfect Scenario and Ayrton, both Stakes winners in the Southern Hemisphere.
His progeny have won 179 Stakes races worth more than 61 million pounds and the stallion is currently in seventh spot on the prize-money list of all sires standing in New Zealand.
Iffraaj won seven of his 13 starts on the track and is currently standing at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud.
ICYMI | @WilsonTaylor99 doing what he does best, riding winners! 🏇
— RaceQ (@RaceQLD) March 16, 2024
Well done Kyle on your Group 2 Wellington Guineas victory aboard Grail Seeker for @WexfordStables in NZ!
🎥 @LOVERACINGNZ #QLDisRacing pic.twitter.com/OsMrHviGjz
