13 Nov 2020The rapid rise of the lightly-tried filly Kahma Lass was crowned at Riccarton this afternoon when she triumphed in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
At just her fourth appearance for trainer Jamie Richards, the daughter of Darci Brahma let down powerfully down the outside to claim classic honours in the hands of Opie Bosson.
“The race worked out pretty well in the end. There wasn’t a lot of tempo and she got up on heels at the half-mile before getting to the outside and that was probably the winning of the race,” Richards said.
“She’s a good filly and we had the right man on board and we get a big thrill out of winning races for Brendan and Jo, they are big supporters of ours.
“She had gone the right way since her last race and her work at home had been pretty sharp. There were a few hairy moments when the plane was held up on Thursday, but she got here in good shape.”
Kahma Lass has been taken along quietly and, despite winning a trial last season, wasn’t tried as a juvenile.
“We knew she was pretty sharp when she trialled up at Te Aroha as a 2-year-old, but she needed a bit of time,” Richards said.
“That’s the good thing about training for Brendan and Jo and Henry, nothing is a problem and they give them the time they need.”
For Bosson, he was delighted to be back in the winner’s circle in the Cambridge Stud colours.
“They have been pretty good to me in the last few years and to get another Group 1 is awesome,” he said.
“She over-raced a bit when they eased up in the middle stages and I ended up behind Tinker McPhee, which was just ideal.
“Turning for home, I had a lap full of horse and the splits all came at the right time.”
Kahma Lass was bred by Nearco Stud and purchased out of Curraghmore’s draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale for $290,000.
She was signed for by Te Akau’s David Ellis on behalf of the Lindsays.
“Wasn’t that just fantastic, I could see she was going well at the top of the straight and my goodness, what a ride,”Brendan Lindsay said.
“We thought we had a chance, but there were a lot of really good fillies in the race.”
Kahma Lass is a sister to the Singapore stakes winner Distinctive Darci and a half-sister to the multiple black type winner Kuro. It is also the family of the dual Group 1 winner Bomber Bill, whose sister Camargue won the G3 Thoroughbred Club S.