Remala produced a dream performance to hand us a perfect result on several fronts at Ellerslie.

Our debutante was successful over 1100 metres at the first time of asking to hand shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain with his first New Zealand winner.

Trained by Lance Noble, the filly claimed the $46,000 to secure her place in next month’s Listed Karaka Millions 2YO Classic for which she is now an equal $5 favourite.

“We were thrilled that she won so nicely, she hit the line really strongly so it’s very exciting,” Noble said.

“She did gallop well here (at Ellerslie) last week and looks a natural racehorse with a good brain.”

While Remala had won lead-up trials at Ruakaka and Taupo, rider Warren Kennedy said they had kept expectations in check.

“We were realistic, it was a tough field and she did really well to find the line strongly.”

Remala settled back and wide before Kennedy improved wide near the turn and the youngster lengthened stride impressively to mow down her rivals.

“Once she got into clear air she quickened up nicely, she was always going to win and there’s a lot of improvement to come so I’m looking forward to the Karaka Millions,” he said.

We purchased Remala from breeder Tim Harrison out of Kilgravin Lodge’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $180,000.

Her dam Alamer was the winner of four races, including the Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial Stakes, and the family of the G1 Toorak Handicap winner He’s Our Rokkii.

Hello Youmzain’s 21 Northern Hemisphere winners are headed by Misunderstood and Electrolyte, both successful at Group 3 level, and Hello Romeo was his first Australasian success story when scoring at Bendigo last month.

Gallant Embellish filly Hitabell produced a defiant front-running performance at Ellerslie to win the G2 Eight Carat Classic and credit our young Cambridge Stud sire with the most important success of his career to date.

The Group 1-winning son of Savabeel’s daughter Luberon has triumphed twice at Group 3 level in our colours while Bold Soul has also been a multiple black-type winner for him in Australia.

The Stephen Marsh-trained Hitabell had trekked south to Wanganui at her previous start to claim the Listed O’Leary’s Fillies’ Stakes and went to another level on Boxing Day.

She made all the running under rider Courtney Barnes and answered every call in the run home to prevail in the 1600 metre fillies’ feature.

“It was a very good win and she was just so brave,” she said.

“We wanted to be positive from the barrier and when she jumped so well, she put herself on the pace and we could control things from there.

“I was a little worried when the other one (Sethito) cruised up alongside us, but I could feel her building underneath me and she just wouldn’t give in.

“That is the furthest she has gone but the way she relaxes there is nothing to say she couldn’t get a little further than the mile.”

Hitabell was bred by Henley Park’s Sarah Devcich who remained in the ownership group after the filly was purchased by Dylan Johnson Bloodstock and Marsh for $9,500 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Online Yearling Sale.

She is a daughter of the late Stravinsky mare Anahita, whose last foal is a juvenile filly also by Embellish, and she was a half-sister to the multiple Group 2 winner and Group 1 placegetter Shikoba.

We couldn’t have wished for a better Boxing Day outcome at Ellerslie with our super mare Snazzytavi.

Her golden run of form appropriately continued with an impressive victory in our sponsored race, the G1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic.

It was the Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall-trained mare’s fourth win on the bounce and second at the highest level following her runaway success in the G1 Livamol Classic.

Snazzytavi settled fourth last before picking up ground across the top and held a strong gallop to the post for rider Warren Kennedy to score in a driving finish.

“It was a strong field and she’s just beaten a very good horse (La Crique), they are two of the better mares in the country so I’m over the moon,” Richardson said.

“What a thrill, I said to them (Brendan and Jo Lindsay) that we would set her for this race for you guys, so it’s unbelievable.”

Following earlier wins with Remala and About Time, Snazzytavi crowned a cracking day for us and Kennedy.

“On the line I thought I had it, but I must give credit to La Crique as she was super brave and came back at me,” Kennedy said.

“We were worried about the pace and they did end up crawling, I got on the back of La Crique where I wanted to be as I thought she would give me a good pull into it.

“It’s taken a bit of time, we always thought she had ability, but for her to bring it to the fore like this is just fantastic.

“For Brendan and Jo, obviously they have been huge supporters of me, so to win the race they sponsor is really special.”

Snazzytavi was bred by Gordon Cunningham under his Suncroft Bloodstock banner, and we purchased her privately out of the trials.

She is a daughter of the Zabeel mare Ritzy Lady, who won six races including the Listed New Zealand St Leger and finished runner-up in the G2 Counties Cup.