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Quality filly Hela kept her unbeaten record intact when she powered her way to an emphatic win in the $50,000 Thousand Guineas at Elwick on Sunday.
Hela extended her winning sequence to four and so easy was this latest win that her trainer Scott Brunton could shy away from sending her to a Tasmanian Oaks and instead target a stakes race in Melbourne.
"We've known all along that this filly was a bit special, but I've been careful not to push her too hard," Brunton said.
"Today she's stepped up to the 1600 metres for the first time but she's handled it easily, so now we know for sure we a filly capable of being stretched out further in distance if we want to this preparation."
Jockey David Pires urged Hela (Night of Thunder-Smooth Return) from her wide gate (9) to land outside of the leader Kay Oh Ell ($31) and she settled well while well-backed runners Mystical Beauty ($31 into $16), Thelma ($5) and Assaranca ($7) settled fourth, sixth and last respectively.
When Mystical Beauty made her charge 600m from home and moved three-wide to challenge the leaders, Craig Newitt sent Thelma forward to latch onto her back and the stage was set for a brilliant finish.
But Hela sprinted so quickly off a good speed that she had the race in her keeping within a blink of an eye.
Hela scored by four lengths from Lady Of Fortune ($31) that made a long, sustained run 700m from home and finished over four lengths ahead of Thelma that grabbed third, just ahead of Indigo Girls.
"My filly was cruising to the home turn and when I asked her to go she rolled to the front and when I hit the go button in the straight she just sped clear and could have won by a bigger margin had I wanted," Pires said.
Brunton would not commit to where he goes next with Hela.
"On home soil we have either the Strutt Stakes or the Oaks but she won't contest both if we decide to go that way, but I am sure she is a filly that would be very competitive in a stakes race in Victoria.
"We will let the dust settle and make a decision on where we go from here in a few days."
Lady of Fortune staked her claim as a genuine Oaks candidate, should trainer Siggy Car choose that option and head the grey filly to the Strutt Stakes (2100m) on Ladbrokes Hobart Cup day as a lead-up to the Oaks to be run in Launceston two weeks later.
Thelma was game in defeat when ridden off the speed and her rider Newitt said he was keen to partner her if she runs in the Strutt Stakes and or the Tasmanian Oaks.
No doubt the connections of the minor placegetters would prefer it if Brunton opts to take his filly to Melbourne instead of heading to the Stutt Stakes or Oaks.
