Rioja shows clean pair of heels

Homebred filly Rioja broke her maiden at Matamata with a minimum of effort and the Almanzor three-year-old looks a safe bet to make her mark in far strong company.

The Katrina and Simon Alexander-trained three-year-old gave rider Warren Kennedy an easy time in the saddle with a commanding frontrunning performance over 1200 metres.

She was quickly into stride to lead and, after dashing clear into the straight, coasted home under hands and heels riding to have four lengths on her closest chaser.

Rioja had finished third in her spring debut before a break and was a resuming second at Taupo last month ahead of going one better in style.

Raced by us with Masterton’s Syd Morgan, she is the first foal of the Burgundy mare Vin Rouge and the family of our G2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes winner About Time, whose half-brother Young Werther is a multiple Group 1 placegetter.

Vin Rouge has a two-year-old daughter of Tivaci and a yearling filly by Almanzor named Belle Cabernet. She produced a brother to the latter last season and is back in foal to Almanzor.

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