New Classic contender for Tiger Hill

Posavina, a New Zealand-bred daughter of Tiger Hill threw herself into Oaks contention on 6 March, recording a gutsy win in the G3 Lowland Stakes at Hastings, New Zealand.

The ten-and-a-half furlong contest is traditionally seen as a stepping stone to the G1 New Zealand Oaks, due to take place on 20 March where Posavina is now likely to reappear.

Tiger Hill also has some exciting prospects closer to home for the coming season, with no few than nine of his current crop of three-year-olds holding entries in the British or French Classics including Rewilding (a half-brother to Singspiel's multiple G1 winner Dar Re Mi) and promising colt Battlecat.

Although extreme weather conditions forced the postponement of the feature races at Flemington on Darley Australia Cup day, there was still success for the Darley sires with Faint Perfume (Shamardal) opening her autumn campaign in victorious fashion in the G2 Kewney Stakes.

No fewer than three of the first four home in the seven-furlong contest were by Darley stallions and leading the Darley dominance was last season’s G1 VRC Oaks-winner Faint Perfume. Returning after a break, the Bart Cummings-trained filly settled last in the field before making her run rounding the home-turn. Once she had shouldered her way into the clear, the result was never in doubt.

Getting up to win the race by three-quarters of a length to defeat Response and fellow Shamardal filly No Evidence Needed, Faint Perfume will now return to competition at the highest level with the Australian Oaks next on her agenda. Third-placed No Evidence Needed will head towards the Oaks race series in South Australia in the next month.

Speaking after the race, Bart Cummings said, “I thought she'd run very well and she's lived up to that. We’ll let her get over that and then look to Sydney for the Oaks there.”

Bred by Wynyarra Stud and co-owner Dato Tan Chin Nam, Faint Perfume has now recorded four wins from eight starts and in excess of AUS$1million in Stakes earnings for her connections.

Shamardal, last year's champion first-season sire in Europe, has now sired ten individual Stakes performers this season in the southern hemisphere.