Reliable Man’s daughter Summerston turned her fortunes around with a barnstorming victory over 1400 metres at Rotorua.
The Debbie Sweeney-trained four-year-old came from well back in the running under rider Kevin Stott to swamp her rivals with a performance that suggested she can quickly move through the grades.
Raced by breeder Gerry Harvey, Summerston hadn’t finished out of the top four in previous appearances on rain-affected ground and showed her versatility on a much firmer surface at Arawa Park on Saturday.
“She was very impressive, she seemed to find trouble every time she’d been to the races, so I said to Kevin to keep her out wider,” Sweeney said.
“She has showed a lot of ability and stepping out over more ground will be ideal for her, she’s a lovely big mare.”
A touch tardy from the barrier, Summerston settled third last and was still back in the field near the turn.
She angled wide at the top of the straight and let down impressively to put paid to her opposition.
“She was a bit slow out of the gates, but they went quickly and she loved the fast ground,” Stott said.
“All I had to do was to make sure I went for the horse at the right time, and she did the rest.”
Summerston is a daughter of the Testa Rossa mare Glasgow, a half-sister to the G2 Chelmsford Stakes winner and G1 Rosehill Guineas runner-up Nevis.
Their dam is the former New Zealand Filly of the Year Tartan Tights, the two-time Group 1 winner of the New Zealand Oaks and the New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Glasgow has now produced three winners and also has an unraced two-year-old filly by Redwood.