An impressive showing by Foxton filly Chantilly Lace at the Levin jumpout trials earlier this week augurs well for her chances in the Group 3 $100,000 Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Trentham tomorrow.

The promising U S Navy Flag filly finished comfortably clear of a field of eight runners in an Open 1000m heat without being seriously tested and carded a slick time of 59.26 seconds, giving trainer Chrissy Bambry confidence the filly was the right path.

“She’s fit and very well and the jumpout was just what she needed. It fitted in nicely,” she said.

Bambry has used the jumpout trials at Levin - held periodically on Tuesdays - with good success as a tool in readying a horse for a Saturday assignment where possible.

More often than not a pre-race preparation involved fast work on a Tuesday anyway, and the jumpouts provided an opportunity to keep horses up to the mark.

“I’ve had pretty good success doing it. Each horse is different and you don’t do it with every horse, but it can give them that little bit more than a gallop and really, you only have to do as much as you want to,” she said.

Bambry races US Navy Flag filly with her parents Tony and Judith. They purchased Chantilly Lace through an online auction as an early 2-year-old for $66,000. The filly had now won $160,000 in 14 career starts and is racing like there is more in store.

Solid spring form that has included a Whanganui Guineas win and Group placings in the Gold Trail Stakes, Hawkes Bay Guineas and Wellington Stakes, saw Chantilly Lace open as the early favourite for the Eulogy Stakes at a quote of $5.

That favouritism could be largely due to an eye-catching run in the Wellington Stakes, settling last and suffering interference before running strongly in behind impressive winner Zabmanzor.

Bambry has always had a high opinion of Chantilly Lace, who was a listed 2-year-old winner of the Castletown Stakes and was close up when fifth in the Group One Manawatū Sire Produce Stakes.

“She is potentially the best horse I’ve trained. She has a tonne of ability,” she said.

Another shot at a Group One race awaits as Chantilly Lace holds a nomination for the $500,000 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m), to be run at Trentham on January 13, and judging by the way she is rounding off her races, the big roomy Trentham track should suit.

“Provided she comes through the race well it would be great to have the chance to have at a Group One race like the Levin Classic. It makes her that much more valuable,” she said.

Chantilly Lace will again be ridden tomorrow by jockey Lily Sutherland, who was onboard in the jumpout trial.

-Paul Williams, NZ Herald