Pencarrow three-year-old Sonata (NZ) (Charm Spirit) opened her winning account on Wednesday with a smart front-running performance in the $25,000 NZB 2025 National Online Yearling Sale 1 April (1400m) at Taupo.

Sonata is trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie at Matamata and went into Wednesday’s race with a fourth and a third from her only two previous appearances.

She and jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll pushed forward out of the starting gates on Wednesday, but were made to do plenty of work in the early stages of the race as Legacy (NZ) (Savabeel) kicked through on their inside.

Sonata was eventually able to move across in front of Legacy and get to the rail, and despite those early exertions, she began to lift the tempo coming down the side of the track and soon pulled away from Legacy.

Radrada (NZ) (Derryn) and Mivirgo (NZ) (Vespa) emerged from the pack and chased hard down the straight, but Sonata kept finding and held them at bay. She went on to win by three-quarters of a length.

Sonata has now had three starts for a win, a third and a fourth, earning $16,965 in prize-money. She was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and is raced by Sir Peter Vela.

Sonata is by Charm Spirit out of Miss Scarlatti (NZ) (Stravinsky), who won the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) and placed in the Group One VRC Oaks (2500m), Group Two Wakeful Stakes (2000m), Group Two Angus Armanasco Stakes (1600m) and Group Three Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m).

Miss Scarlatti is a half-sister to the Group One performers Abidewithme (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and Stockman (NZ) (Tavistock). Their dam Crimson (NZ) (Zabeel) was also a multiple Group winner.

Sonata became the fifth winner from five foals to race out of Miss Scarlatti. She is also the dam of Fair Isle (NZ) (Fastnet Rock), who has gone on to produce four winners including the Group Three winner Star Of Justice (NZ) (Justify).