Promising mare Rasa Lila (Darci Brahma x Dance My Dance) continues to work her way through the grades with another impressive victory in the $40,000 Carbine Club Trophy (1600m) at Ellerslie yesterday.

Rasa Lila is unbeaten this season having won fresh up by three-and-a-half-lengths over 1600m just over two weeks ago at Otaki for trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie. Also a winner over 2100m, she has now won five races among her 18 starts and placed on a further nine occasions.

“It was a massive run,” commented Ramsay. “She had to cover a lot of extra ground after being pushed out at the top of the straight and although everything was running against her she still had the will to win and has an awesome turn of foot when she needs it.

“She has come back stronger this season and we are really happy with her. With her form going the way it is we will be looking for a black-type race for her next but we need to think about if we want to keep her to a mile – this was her third win over a mile.”

Entering as race-favourite, jockey Samantha Collet jumped Rasa Lila from barrier 3, settling at the rear of the field. Forced to take a wide berth as the field straightened for home, Rasa Lila powered down the outside of the track with impressive turn of foot for a last-to-first win over Late Decision (NZ) (King’s Chapel) who finished in second place with Irish Heartbeat (NZ) (Electronic Zone) in third.

The win on Melbourne Cup day comes 14 years after the Pencarrow Racing colours were worn to victory by Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm) in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

Owned by Sir Peter Vela, who bred her with Philip Vela, the daughter of Darci Brahma is out of unraced mare Dance My Dance (Sadler’s Wells), the dam of three winners including stakes-winner Posavina (Tiger Hill), winner of the Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Lowland Stakes.

Her grandam, Tis Juliet (Alydar), was an American Group 1 winner in the Group 1 Belmont Shuvee Handicap.