Verry Elleegant Opens Up Big HOTY Margin

In claiming her eighth Group 1 race on Saturday, where she displayed enormous chutzpah against world-class arch-foe Addeybb (Pivotal-Bush Cat, by Kingmambo) in the Gr1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill, local champion Verry Elleegant (Zed-Opulence, by Danroad) provided herself with a significant buffer for the 2020-21 Black Type Premiership Horse of the Year title. The kiwi-bred mare, who is trained by Chris Waller, reversed last year’s Ranvet result, vindicating her trainer’s suggestion she has strengthened even further as a 5YO mare whose best races could be in front of her. That could include a date with destiny in October’s Gr1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) at Longchamp. Now on 72 points for the current season with a sensational five seasonal Group 1 triumphs, Verry Elleegant epitomises what’s required to win the Horse of The Year title. It’s not a popularity contest, simply an empirically substantiated combination of frequent elite performance – hence the BTP slogan, Performance. Measured. Her new aggregate puts the daughter of well-bred stallion Zed (Zabeel-Emerald Dream, by Danehill) a full 17 points clear of nearest rivals Arcadia Queen (Pierro; 55) and Personal (Fastnet Rock; 47). The former, however, leads Verry Elleegant by one point in the exceptionally tight Weight-For-Age Premiership, with another point back to Russian Camelot (Camelot).