Outstanding filly Iveseenheavenslight showed her class with a strong win in the Listed $125,000 Nutrien Equine Classic final for three-year-old fillies at Melton on Friday night.
Capably driven by Jackie Barker Iveseenheavenslight eventually worked her way around the field to take over from stable mate Ill Be Gone.
Iveseenheavenslight was back early in the race from her second-row draw. Ill Be Gone quickly found the front but her driver allowed Iveseenheavenslight to race to the front without having to do too much work.
The other fancied stablemate Beach Diamond was out wide making her run at the bell before settling outside Iveseenheavenslight. However, the effort told but she fought back gamely to go down by just over four metres with Ill Be Gone in third place which gave trainer Emma Stewart the trifecta.
Iveseenheavenslight rated 1.54.7 for the 2240 metres with a slick last quarter of 27.6 seconds.
“She’s so good to drive. So easy chill and relaxed and she has a nice nature. She isn’t a hyperactive type which is a good attribute for youngsters. These are races that we all want to win and I’m grateful to Emma and Clayton to get the drive.”
Although she drifted off the fence on straightening Barker was not too worried.
“When she was on her own at the top of the straight, she was inclined to lose a bit of concentration but once I tapped her up she got on with it.”
“She’s been a ripper horse to me and right up there with my favourites along with Always B Miki.”
“We actually went a lot quicker than I had hoped. They didn’t slow down that much when I went to the lead, and I thought that I need to give her a bit of a breather. But the outside horse was alongside me and putting pressure. She really did prove that she’s a top quality filly.”
Last season Iveseenheavenslight proved herself to be one of our leading two-year-olds when she took out the Captain Crunch Vicbred Super Series toward the end of last season. With only seven races under her belt and $189,000 in prize money Iveseenheavenslight has proven herself to be the leading fillies currently racing to date and she will be at the forefront of the fillies classics including the Oaks should the Stewart stable attempt to go to Sydney in early May.
However, runner up Beach Diamond’s performance was full of merit given the sectional times and the fact that she had to work so hard. She will be improved by that effort at only her third appearance.