Always B Miki pair quinella Group 2 feature in NZ record

Always B Miki colt You’re So Fine was an impressive winner, in New Zealand record breaking time, of the Group 2 Diamond Creek Farm 2YO Classic at Ascot Park on Sunday, comfortably taking out the juvenile feature from fellow Always B Miki 2-year-old Franco Indie.

You’re So Fine showed a dazzling turn of foot over the closing stages, after weaving a clear path in the back straight, to charge home and win going away by two lengths. Watch replay.

You’re So Fine’s winning time of 2:39.6 (mile rate of 1:56.7) sliced a second off the previous national record for a 2-year-old pacer over the 2,200m distance set by A Bettor Act in the same race back in 2018.

The Brett Gray trained colt is the winner of one race from just two starts to date, with his only other race-day outing resulting in a third placing in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes to the highly regarded Akuta.

A $14,000 purchase at the 2020 NZB Christchurch Yearling Sale, You’re So Fine was bred by the Jordash Breeding Trust, and is out of the unraced Falcon Seelster mare Syriana, making him from the famed Black Watch maternal family.

Bred by Spreydon Lodge, the runner-up Franco Indie is out of the unraced Christian Cullen mare Idancedwithcullen, a daughter of the Group winning juvenile Idancedallnight.

Earlier in the weekend, the Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan trained Always B Miki filly Montana Glory produced another strong effort to finish third in the Group 1 NZ Sires Stakes 2YO Fillies Championship at Alexandra Park on Friday evening.

It was her second consecutive Group 1 placing after finishing a close second to True Fantasy in the Group 1 Caduceus Club Fillies Classic the previous week, stamping her as one of New Zealand’s best juvenile fillies this season.