The Pencarrow Stud-bred and owned Propitious (Darci Brahma x Pertinacious) broke her maiden status in the $7,000 Catering South Canterbury 1600(m) at Phar Lap Raceway on Friday.

Trained by Jan Hay, Propitious had been placed in three of her previous nine starts and was coming off an unlucky seventh last start where she was held up at a vital time.

“Too big and too strong I suppose,” commented Hay. “She was slow away and went early but the horse in front of her, as Kylie (Williams) said, was going to stop so she chose to go at the 700m.

“She upstaged them really but I think she will be better once she gets up over a bit more ground. I will look at running her Friday week at Riccarton over 1800m.”

Propitious, the race-favourite, went to the tail of the field after being the last horse to leave the barriers for Kylie Williams, a regular rider on the Darci Brahma mare. As the field past the 800m mark, Propitious improved her position with a sweeping run around the outside of the field.

A burst of energy at the top of the straight saw the blue and white silks hit the front inside 150m, winning by one-and-a-quarter-lengths over Fashion Lass (NZ) (No Excuse Needed) and Lady Em (NZ (Sir Percy), who finished in second and third place respectively.

Owned by Sir Peter Vela, who bred him with Philip Vela, the five-year-old mare increased her winnings to $8,925.

The daughter of Darci Brahma is out of a Montjeu mare Pertinacious (Montjeu), and is a full-sister to winning filly Persuasive (Darci Brahma) and a half-sister to Connection (Keeper), a winner in Australia.

Granddam Sarwarch (Jetball) was the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year in 2000 and the winner of the Group 2 Royal Stakes.