Brilliant Stakes Success for Lovetrista

29th September 2007

One of the most valuable horses in New Zealand is blue-blooded filly Lovetrista (3f Rock of Gibraltar - Tristalove, by Sir Tristram) and she just increased her worth after landing her first Black Type success in the Listed AuRC Soliloquy Stakes over 1400 metres at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Having her second race start, the John Sargent trained filly jumped swiftly and was always prominent before kicking clear in the straight to beat champion mare Seachange’s half-sister Keepa Cruisin by a length and a half.

Bred by Cambridge Stud and retained to race by Sir Patrick Hogan and partners, Lovetrista looks every bit as good as her pedigree might suggest, in fact her trainer has intimated she may be the best horse he has trained.

Lovetrista is the final foal of former top class Sir Tristram mare Tristalove (died in 2005), a dual Group One winner in Australia and three-quarter sister to AJC Australian Derby hero Don Eduardo, also full sister to stakes-winner Antwerp, the dam of champion two and three year-old Viscount.

This is of course the peerless Eight Carat family that has left a treasure trove of superior runners in Australasia for the last twenty years.

Tristalove proved every bit as good a broodmare as she was a racehorse, producing Inglis Easter sale-topper Viking Ruler, who went on to win the Group One AJC Spring Champion Stakes, as well as Group Two winner Kempinsky, stakes-winner Diamond Like and stakes-placed Chimeara, the dam of Group One STC Rosehill Guineas winner De Beers.

Lovetrista looked ultra impressive in becoming the 19^th stakes-winner worldwide for Rock of Gibraltar, who is serving at Coolmore Australia this spring at a fee of $82,500.