Three-year-old filly Equanimity (More Than Ready), the first foal from the 2008 NZ Bloodstock Filly of the Year Insouciant (Keeper), emulated her dam by commencing with a brilliant win in the Windsor Park Karaka Yearlings 2014 Maiden 3YO 1230 metres on Jan. 6 at Rotorua.

Leading their respective premierships, Te Akau stable rider Matt Cameron and Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman combined for a rich success with the Pencarrow Stud filly and owner Sir Peter Vela.

Allowed to settle rearward on a sharp pace, Equanimity tracked up behind runners approaching the home turn after being six lengths from the lead passing the 600 metres. Cameron had her into the clear on straightening and after mounting a strong challenge she sprinted away over the concluding stages to win impressively by one and three-quarter lengths.

“It was quite a strong field,” said Bridgman. “She had always shown plenty at home but never really translated that into form at the trials and we felt it was more of a maturity and confidence thing. We have given her time and put blinkers on at her most recent trials to give her confidence amongst horses. She certainly needed the outing at her most recent trial and there will be a lot of improvement.

“The most encouraging aspect was that she rounded the race off really strongly with a good turn of foot. It’s the best thing she’s done thus far and on what we saw you would expect there is more to come,” said Bridgman.

Te Akau and Pencarrow Stud has had a close association over the years, headed by the purchasing and training of five time Group One winning stallion Darci Brahma (Danehill), as well as preparing Insouciant to win the 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600), Eulogy Stakes (Gr. 3, 1600m) and finish second in the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (Gr. 2, 2000m) to secure her title.

With exceptional knowledge and implementation strategies within the Pencarrow operation, Stud Manager Leon Casey was thrilled with the instant success of Equanimity.

“It will be interesting to see how far she goes, because the filly side of the family is all over the place as far as distance is concerned and if she gets a mile there is still good opportunities around for the three-year-old fillies,” said Casey.

“She may only be a 1200-metre horse, but hopefully she would get a mile and we’ve always thought a bit of her. If they can relax and hit the line against their own age it shows they are likely to get a bit further.

“Insouciant came out in September of her three-year-old year and broke the 1200-metre track record at Taupo, winning by over five lengths. But, she was a highly talented filly as long as we stayed on the right side of her mentally and you just don’t get to be ‘Filly of the Year’ without having a lot of talent.

“It isn’t a fast maturing family and it’s no surprise that she needed a break, and it just might be that she is ready to show us what she’s got now. I mean, horses go through so many stages. They can look like champions, then struggle for a bit and then come on again. But, it’s great to get a win on the board with so much of the season in front of us and I would like to thank Jason (Bridgman) and the team,” said Casey.

By Jeff Dore