Win will pay homage to late sire

The New Zealand-bred filly ran third behind useful Red Flame in her third start but then after a rest produced three successive disappointing performances. However, last time out some of the old verve returned when she raced up with the pace and was only beaten 0.75 lengths by Amber Orchid over 1600m on the Turffontein inside track.

She lines up today in the Allez France Handicap (Non-Black Type) for fillies and mares over 2200m at the same course and the question is whether she will see out the additional 600m or not.

She is beautifully bred and is by O’Reilly out of a Danehill mare, Entrust. With 68 stakes winners, O’Reilly is headed only by Sir Tristram and Zabeel as New Zealand’s leading all-time sire of individual Black-Type winners. He only ran as a three-year-old but won three races up to 1600m.

Sadly, at the age of 21, O’Reilly was found dead in his box on 31 December last year. Little more than six months after he buried wife Lisa after a brave fight against cancer, Mark Chittick also had to bid farewell to the animal who almost single-handedly elevated the Matamata stud farm right to the top of the thoroughbred tree.

While O’Reilly seems to produce horses who have lasted up to 2000m there is some staying power to be found. Ironically he was mated with Afjan, the dam of Entrust and they produced Big Maverick, who in 2009 and 2010 was named 2008 and Champion Older Stayer in Singapore.

So there is hope Lertasha will see out the distance and if she does, form is in her favour. In May last year Marwing’s charge beat Vino Veritas by 0.75 lengths and is now 3.5kg better off. The Gavin van Zyl-trained runner went on to win a Pinnacle Stakes over this course and distance last time and with the weight turnaround that puts Vino Veritas very close to the likes of Touch The Sky and Santa Carolina.

The other form line of relevance is on 20 January in which Hawker Hurricane beat Wild Ash by two lengths, also over the course and distance. There looks to be very little between those two but Ormond Ferraris’ charge is the younger horse and has more scope for improvement.