Almanzor’s daughters return top Oaks trials

Our shuttle stallion Almanzor was the dominant force in the fillies’ feature at Ellerslie where his daughters Positivity and Qali Al Farrasha quinellaed the G3 Sunline Vase over 2100 metres.Their performances saw their odds for the G1 New Zealand Oaks tumble with the former now an $8 equal favourite for the Trentham Classic with Qali Al Farrasha moving in to $12.Trained by Andrew Forsman, Positivity was making her fifth appearance and was trapped deep before rider Masa Hashizume let her stride along to sit in second spot.She got to the front early in the run home and stayed on strongly to defeat Qali Al Farrasha, who came on well from back in the field.“That was so good and she has got better with every run and she didn’t have a lot of luck in her previous two,” stable representative Gemma Hewetson said.Positivity had copped interrupted runs when midfield in both the G3 Desert Gold Stakes and the G2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic.“Andrew has always had a big opinion of her, she’s kept improving and is a lovely filly.”Bred by the late Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan with Peter Walker, Positivity was bought out of Woburn Farm’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by Ben Kwok for $160,000.She is a daughter of the stakes-winning O’Reilly mare Pussy O’Reilly, who was also runner-up in the G1 Makfi Challenge Stakes.