Keep The Peace Claims Desert Gold Stakes
- Saturday, 30 January 2010 13:40
Narrowly beaten by history making filly Katie Lee in the 1000 Guineas, Keep The Peace (3 B. F. Keeper – Peace Of Mind, by Wild Rampage) scored a terrific win in the $70,000, Group III, Little India Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.
Trained by Shaun Ritchie at Cambridge, Keep The Peace suffered a half neck defeat by Katie Lee in the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton in November before the latter went on to win the 2000 Guineas a week later, but Ritchie along with rider Jason Waddell sounded a warning after turning the tables.
Apart from a recent trial victory, Ritchie had not lined up his star filly since the pair last clashed.
She is owned by Paul Bellingham, along with Mick Dittman and his son Luke Dittman.
“She’s a very good filly, said Ritchie, in a year when the crop of three-year-old fillies is very good. They seem better than the colts and I’m delighted with the win, but wait until she gets over more ground. It’s hard to get one over Katie Lee, so it’s nice to square up on her.”
Ritchie continued, saying, “She might be something special after sitting three wide. I thought she was vulnerable and didn’t think she would beat Katie Lee today, but would prove more difficult over two-thousand metres plus.”
“I also think she is better with cut out of the ground.”
At only her second start, Keep The Peace suggested she was above average when winning on heavy footing at Avondale, before winning her next start at Trentham, again on heavy footing, by six and three quarter lengths.
She proved when running second on good ground in the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton that she could exude her class on a range of footing, and she let down with a smart sprint on a good track to win the Desert Gold.
Waddell was equally as bullish, “She did everything I asked and more. She jumped better than I expected, but I was caught wide, so we were lucky and suited by a slow pace. She tracked up well and is a super top-class filly, sitting three wide in a gun filly field. They will have to be good to beat her as she steps up in distance now because she’ll improve ten lengths.”
Keep The Peace sustained a big run after being wide in midfield to beat Marsh Harbour by half a length, with a head to Katie Lee in third, and a further half head to Obsession, fourth.
Trained by Vanessa and Wayne Hillis, Marsh Harbour had won at Trentham five days earlier and proved she is up to the best fillies of her age, while Obsession, who attempted to dictate terms in front throughout, is trained by Frank Ritchie, the father of Shaun.
The mile was covered in a leisurely time of 1:37.73 and Keep The Peace returned $8.00 & $2.30 on the local tote.
She has now won three times and recorded two seconds from five starts, for earnings of $111,950.
