Pencarrow’s star racemare Guiseppina has had her brilliant 2011/12 season recognised with a nomination for the coveted New Zealand Sprinter of the Year Award at the annual NZ Thoroughbred Racing Awards.

The NZ Sprinter of the Year Award has three nominees with Guiseppina (Johar x Battocchi) in company with four-time Group 1 winner Veyron (Thorn Park) and nine-time Group 1 winner Mufhasa (Pentire).

Trained by Steven Ramsay & Julia Ritchie, Guiseppina had only seven starts coming into last season and showed a huge amount of ability when claiming the second stakes race of her career, the Listed Levin Stakes (1200m), in November by just under two lengths.

The Listed victory was just a glimpse of what was to come from the now six-year-old as she produced a career-best performance at her next appearance to win the $300,000 Group 1 Telegraph Handicap (1200m) at Trentham in January.

Beating a top class field, James McDonald rode a brilliant race, keeping Guiseppina back after jumping from barrier 22. In a cool and calculated ride, McDonald unleashed the mare on the outside of the field in the final 250 metres to take one of New Zealand’s feature Group 1 races by a long neck.

In doing so, Guiseppina beat last start Railway Stakes winner Atomic Force (Danehill Dancer) and clocked the final 600 metres of the Telegraph in an exceptional 32.60 seconds.

Luck was not on the mare’s side at her next start when she missed the jump in the Group 1 Waikato Draft Sprint (1400m) but she ran a great race to claim a fast finishing fourth behind fellow NZ Sprinter of the Year nominee Veyron. Guiseppina then produced another honest performance to take third behind Veyron in the Group 1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic over a mile.

Guiseppina is back in work for the current season and her trainers Steven Ramsay & Julia Ritchie are very pleased with her progress.

“Guiseppina is coming along really well,” commented Rambo. “She had a good gallop at Taupo last Wednesday and we are looking at galloping her between races at Te Rapa this weekend.

“She will be heading to the Group 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Hawke’s Bay first up and she is also nominated for the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m). She really needs a firm surface to be at her best so we are hoping Hawke’s Bay can produce a good track for her return.”

Bred by Peter and Philip Vela, Guiseppina is from the Success Express mare Battocchi who is also the dam of the Pencarrow bred Micken (Darci Brahma) who ran second in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1500m) in October last year.