The Waipukurau Jockey Club played host to its annual Christmas picnic meeting on a sunny Hawke’s Bay day on Sunday, the scene of the maiden victory by Pencarrow filly Pink Beach.

The three-year-old Johar filly – trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie at Maungatautari – was having her fourth start in the $5,000 New World Maiden Stakes over 2100m. Ridden by James McDonald, she put in a dashing turn of foot to claim the race by a length from Elpins, with another five and a half lengths to third place.

From Pencarrow broodmare Anakela Bay (Fairy King) Pink Beach is the half-sister to two four-time winners in Australia, Graphical and Truesdale, both by Zabeel, and a full sister to Chief Secretary, a recent winner over a mile in Singapore. She has a yearling half-sister by Perfectly Ready being retained by the stud.

Pencarrow Racing was also represented at Waipukurau by two impressive bridesmaids just missing out on winners spoils.

In the Medallion Pet Foods 1400 was the striking debut performance by Dayess, the three-year-old filly by Stravinsky from Melbourne & Caulfield Cups queen, Ethereal. Wearing Pencarrow’s lucky ‘13’ and jumping from the ace draw, Dayess got held up in the home straight before finding clear air to come home strongly, just a long neck behind race favourite Sky Hawk.

Dayess is the fifth foal of Ethereal, her first being the Group 1 NZ Derby placed runner, Uberalles (Giant's Causeway). Ethereal has a yearling filly by gun Australian sire Encosta de Lago that will be retained by the Stud.

In the $10,000 feature Christmas Cup, four-year-old Tiger Hill mare Posavina almost lived up to her $1.80 race favouritism when she was beaten by a nostril in a photo finish. From Dance My Dance (Sadler's Wells), Posavina was the winner of the Group 3 Lowland Stakes in March, also over 2100m. She's a half-sister to five-time winner Stalking (Van Nistelrooy), and the twice-raced three-year-old Aterballeto (Stravinsky).

Also putting in a gun performance at the weekend was four-year-old daughter of Red Ransom, Amaryllis. Lining up in the $85,000 Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Concorde Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, Amaryllis hit traffic in the straight before being guided into the clear by Cameron Lammas and powering home to miss by a neck to the Daniel and Elias Nahkle owned Ego.

Rounding off the Pencarrow runners over the weekend was a fast-finishing third by the five-year-old grey mare, Miranda Miss (Reset x Marie Claire). Under pressure half-way down the straight, James McDonald managed to ease her into the clear to get strongly to the line. A dual winner over 1200m, Miranda Miss has a half-brother by Pentire featuring in the Pencarrow Stud draft at Karaka 2011.