Pencarrow Racing appears to have a leading chance for the lucrative Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final on New Year’s Day with Kendoka (Reset) putting her name forward with a resounding victory in the $15,000 Dunstan Feeds Championship Qualifier (2200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.

The four-year-old mare trained by Donna and Dean Logan was stepping up over a staying distance for the first time in her short six-start career in a truly run race over 2200 meters.

After jumping from barrier nine for leading jockey Matthew Cameron, Kendoka settled near the tail of the field in a race that was run at an even pace. At the 600m Cameron started to edge the daughter of Reset closer to the leaders and into a position to challenge in the straight.

Kendoka quickened in the straight and showed superior stamina over her race rivals and prevailed by a comfortable 1.5 lengths on a Dead 6 track.

“I would have been a lot more confident at 2100m,” stated Donna Logan. “The big gap between races and going to 2200m, I just hoped we were as fit as what we thought we were and it worked out accordingly.

“She did it the hard way, they didn’t stop up front, the second and third horses were second and third in the running and she had to come around them and won fairly convincingly in the end.

“I still feel that the horse is six months off being at her full potential as far as being physically mature but I definitely feel she can pick up a decent staying race in the future.

“We will discuss where we go with the team and make sure they are happy to go ahead to the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final now. Looking at the carnival there aren’t any fillies and mares staying races for her so it probably looks the most inviting race for her and she has been nominated.”

A winner on debut, Kendoka has now won two races from her six starts, earning $21,475 in her short career for owner Peter Vela who bred the mare in partnership with Philip Vela.

Kendoka is by unbeaten racehorse Reset (Zabeel) and out of the imported Irish mare Kwan (Sadler’s Wells), a half-sister to Group 1 Ascot Fillies Mile winner Fairy Heights (Fairy King). Kendoka is the second winner from Kwan who has already left the talented Martial Art (Tiger Hill), a winner in New Zealand and Singapore who was placed in the Sgp-1 Singapore Gold Cup.