Three weeks after racing greenly on debut, Pencarrow filly Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) produced a much-improved performance and cleared maiden ranks in style in Friday’s $18,500 Happy Hire (1200m) at Taupo.

Tomodachi is trained at Matamata by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, who lined her up for her first raceday start at Taupo on February 14. She did plenty wrong in the running and lay out under pressure down the straight, but she still finished a creditable third.

The return to Taupo for her second start on Friday brought a very different result. Jockey Warren Kennedy eased Tomodachi back to third-last in the 11-horse field, then brought her down the outside with a brilliant finishing burst to win going away by two and a half lengths.

Tomodachi was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd, and her two-start career has so far netted $12,610 in stakes for owner Sir Peter Vela.

The bay filly 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 64 winners from 142 runners, headed by Group One winners Gypsy Goddess (NZ) and Jungle Magnate (NZ), along with the undefeated Australian three-year-old Immediacy (NZ), who recently won the Group Two Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield.

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 the recent Pencarrow-bred stakes winner Pericles (NZ) (Rubick).

Quintessentially herself won three races up to 2100 metres, and she now has a perfect record of two winners from two named foals. Since producing Tomodachi in 2020, she has had a filly by Vadamos and a colt by Hello Youmzain.