Costa Viva Crowned After a nail-biting two and a half minute wait as they watched the Wellfield New Zealand Oaks unfold, Costa Viva’s connections can now celebrate as their filly has been crowned winner of the prestigious New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series. The points’ race all rested on the outcome of the Group 1 Wellfield New Zealand Oaks, and with the win of Miss Mossman, owners Dave and Nicky Hurst, Dianne Ford and Ray and Jan Batten can now call their 3 year old filly a champion. Costa Viva continues a remarkable legacy for Te Akau as the fifth filly to win the coveted Series in the last eight years for the stable. The familiar names of Shikoba (2005-06), Princess Coup (2006-07), Insouciant (2007-08) and King’s Rose (2010-11) grace the honour roll of past winners under Te Akau tutelage. Costa Viva, by champion sire Encosta de Lago out of the Bel Esprit mare Vivacious Spirit, won the title in only six starts this season, with three wins, one second and one third placing. She easily cleared maiden ranks by beating winners on debut at Ruakaka in August and in five starts since that performance has only stepped out in stakes’ races. Her first points came when runner up to Bounding in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings. Although not part of the series, she next posted a gutsy win in the Listed Ray Coupland Stakes (Te Akau’s sixth) over stablemate Chambord who went on to finish second in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas. Costa Viva leapt to the lead in the Filly of the Year Series with a superb win in the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas in November at Riccarton turning the tables on fellow Group 1 winner Bounding, and she has topped the leader board since. She added valuable points when second to Hera in the Group 2 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and was third at Trentham in the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes – after which she went for a spell. “This is a great result for a quality filly. She is very good but also very consistent, never running worse than third, and I am delighted for her as well as the owners. She was the pick at the sale and thanks to David Ellis, she’s in the stable. “This is also the result of a huge team effort from our great staff, I can’t thank them enough. The series is so prestigious and I have to thank New Zealand Bloodstock for their involvement in sponsoring the series,” says trainer Jason Bridgman, leader of the NZ Trainers’ Premiership. Te Akau principal David Ellis purchased Costa Viva at the 2012 June Gold Coast Sale for $100,000, a paltry amount to what she is now worth. She was bred by 2011 Victorian Small Breeder of the Year winner Tarcoola Stud. Read more here: teakauracing/news/costa-viva-crowned/
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 07:25:57 +0000
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