Trained by Steven Ramsay & Julia Ritchie, Papilio (Redoute's Choice x Lafleur) was ridden patiently by jockey Darryl Bradley who waited for a gap in the straight before unleashing her impressive turn of foot. Taking the lead at the 150 metre mark, the mare held off the late finishing Hell Yeah (Pyrus) and Chaparella (High Chaparral) to win by three-quarters of a length.

“That’s her job to get the black-type and she’s done it really well,” said Steven Ramsay.

“There’s a Group 3 mile (the Easter Cup) here for her in a couple of weeks, but I’ll let the dust settle first and talk to Peter and Philip before we decide what to do next.”

A highly consistent mare, Papilio came into the race after running a very good second at Matamata in late February over 1400 metres after having almost two months away from the track. Saturday’s victory was the third for the daughter of Redoute’s Choice, with her ten career starts also netting four placings.

Papilio was the second winner by Redoute’s Choice for Pencarrow Racing last week. The team also saw the royally bred two-year-old Pure Elegance (ex Our Echezeaux) win impressively on debut at Waipukurau on Friday by five-and-a-half lengths.

Bred by Peter and Philip Vela, Papilio is a half-sister to the Pencarrow bred, raced and owned Amaryllis (Red Ransom), an eight-time winner whose headline victory came in the Group 3 Darley Plate last season. Amaryllis was served by the champion sire Encosta de Lago in 2011.

A half-brother to Papilio and Amaryllis was purchased by John O’Shea Racing from Pencarrow Stud at this year’s Karaka Premier Sale for $460,000.

Papilio is out of the Zabeel mare Lafleur who won the Group 2 ARC Royal Stakes, one of ten races in the New Zealand Bloodstock’s Filly of the Year Series. Her grand-dam is the Group 1 Newmarket July Cup winning mare Habibti (Habitat) who is from one of New Zealand’s premier Eight Carat family.

Lafleur foaled a colt by O’Reilly in 2011 and was served by O’Reilly again last season.