Progressive Pencarrow Racing stayer Kendoka (Reset x Kwan) showed plenty of determination to win the $25,000 Rotary 2400m Rating 75 at Ellerslie on Saturday.

A consistent mare, Kendoka has only failed to weigh in at three of her 14 starts for trainers Donna & Dean Logan. The five-year-old started as the race-favourite with last season’s leading rider Matthew Cameron aboard.

After enjoying a cosy run in third position, Kendoka had a battle on her hands at the end of the 2400m race with Reka (Storm Creek) pinching a break at the top of the straight. The daughter of Reset chased hard and in the shadow of the post Kendoka stuck her head out to claim victory by a nose with 6.5 lengths to third.

“She was huge,” commented Donna Logan. “She loved the distance as she stays all day. It was a really tough and gutsy effort, the second horse isn’t a bad horse and there was a long distance back to the third horse.

“I am very pleased she stepped up to the distance, we set her for this race and always felt she would prevail over the 2400m which she accordingly did. She could well go down to Christchurch as there is a 2400m race down there for her.”

Saturday’s win was Kendoka’s third victory for owner Sir Peter Vela and took her career earnings to $49,565.

Bred by Sir Peter Vela and Philip Vela, Kendoka is out of Sadler’s Wells mare Kwan, a blood-sister to Group 1 winner Fairy Heights (Fairy King). Kendoka is a half-sister to Martial Art (Tiger Hill), a Group 1 placegetter in Singapore. She is also a half-sister to Indomitable (Danehill), the dam of promising three-year-old Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj).