Tony Pike will have his two talented fillies, Raziah and Archaic Smile, chasing age-group crowns within 10 minutes of each other this Saturday at Riccarton Park and Ellerslie.

In the South Island, The Oaks Stud-owned Raziah takes her place in the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m), looking to complete a stakes-level hattrick that commenced in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) in mid-September.

The daughter of Niagara overcame a rocky run in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) to go back-to-back, a performance that Pike had plenty of praise for.

“It was exceptional,” he said. “She’d obviously taken good improvement from her first run down there, and after getting held up and checked a couple of times in the run, she was really strong late and won it quite comfortably in the end.

“Based on that run, the mile should suit her well on Saturday, hopefully the rain doesn’t arrive but we’re all in the same boat down there. She’ll take on a couple of new northerners, but she should be very hard to beat again.”

Raziah’s swift rise has been reflected in the TAB Futures market for the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), where she lies at $8 behind equal-favourites Alabama Lass and Captured By Love ($3).

“It’s a nice spacing to the 1000 Guineas with the three weeks, she’ll head there after Saturday,” Pike said.

“She’s a lovely natured filly, she hasn’t really turned a hair since she’s been down there.”

By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk