Victory romp for Almanzor filly

Quality filly Mary Shan was in a league of her own at Pukekohe where she thumped her age group rivals.The daughter of Almanzor strolled to victory over 1400 metres for her second win from 11 appearances with a host of minor placings in strong company.“She’s been all around it and got multiple bits of black type,” trainer Andrew Forsman said.“It’s a shame she hasn’t won one, but she’ll get there in time.”Mary Shan finished runner-up at Group 2 level in both the Eight Carat Classic and the Soliloquy Stakes and also ran fourth in the G1 Levin Classic and G3 Rotorua Stakes.The three-year-old dropped to the back of the small field at Pukekohe before improving wide on the turn and, under hands and heels riding from Craig Grylls, ploughed through the heavy going to score by five and a-half lengths.“She handled the conditions okay and was the class in the field,” Forsman said.“There are options now, there’s Brisbane or Melbourne or she could go to the paddock, she’s had a long season.”Forsman purchased Mary Shan out of Prima Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale draft for $180,000. She was bred by Tony Hatzopoulos, Denis and Margaret Frew, Hans and Chris Scheffer, Costa Charalambous and David and Judy Underhill.She is a daughter of the High Chaparral mare Shanzam, who is back in foal to Almanzor, and her dam Shanzero was successful in the G3 Wellington Stakes and was runner-up in the G1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes.