Pencarrow’s Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) continued her rise through the grades with another win on Saturday, this time against open-class opposition in the $75,000 Horizon By Skycity (1200m) at Ellerslie.

Tomodachi won three of her five starts as a three-year-old last season, and her perfect record as a four-year-old now stands at two from two. She resumed with a spectacular last-to-first performance at Tauranga in January, which she followed up with another impressive come-from-behind victory at Ellerslie.

Ridden by Masa Hashizume for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, Tomodachi settled second-last on Saturday among a small field. The second favourite Glamour Tycoon (Written Tycoon), who was seen as her biggest danger, was able to control the race out in front with an uncontested lead.

Hashizume allowed Tomodachi to move closer coming down the side of the track, rounding the home turn in third place and only a length off the lead.

Tomodachi warmed into her work in the straight and soon drew up alongside Glamour Tycoon. That mare had more to offer, but Tomodachi gradually got the upper hand and scored by a head. The third placegetter finished two and a half lengths behind the first pair.

“She is a really, really nice horse who jumped well and settled beautifully today,” Hashizume said. “There wasn’t much pace on and I didn’t want to get too far away from Glamour Tycoon, so I moved early to be closer and she kicked on well, hit the line strong and was very hard to pull up.”

O’Sullivan was impressed with Hashizume’s ride.

“Masa summed it up well,” he said. “I think the winning of the race was the move he made to get handy three-deep, and then she (Tomodachi) was right there when they let go.

“She is certainly very progressive and Andrew and I and the team really rate her. She is probably a season away from her best, but long-term she has a real future.

“We think a mile is going to be her go, although we did try to get her to run further as a three-year-old. She just raced a little bit hard in the running for that, but once she learns, who knows what her ceiling is?

“We will go home and have a look through the programme and see what is available to her before we make any decisions on where we go next.”

From only seven career starts, Tomodachi has won five times and has earned $114,316. She was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and is raced by Sir Peter Vela.

Tomodachi is by Westbury Stud stallion Tarzino (NZ), who himself was a high-class winner of the Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) and Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m). He is the sire of 97 winners from 180 runners, headed by Group One winners Gypsy Goddess (NZ) and Jungle Magnate (NZ), along with highly promising three-year-old Willydoit (NZ) last season’s Group Two Autumn Classic (1800m) winner Immediacy (NZ).

Tomodachi is out of Quintessentially (NZ) (High Chaparral), who is a daughter of the Group One-placed Uberalles (NZ) (Giant’s Causeway) and a granddaughter of the champion Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm).

Uberalles is a half-sister to the stakes performers Seraphim (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), Imperium (NZ) (Encosta De Lago) and Duquesa (NZ) (Encosta De Lago), along with the dams of black-type stars Supera (NZ) (Savabeel), Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) and last season’s Pencarrow-bred stakes winner Pericles (NZ) (Rubick).

Quintessentially herself won three races up to 2100 metres, and she has a perfect record of two winners from two foals to race.