Pencarrow mare Sleeping Beauty (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) made a great first impression in her debut appearance at Taupo on Friday.

The four-year-old, ridden by Craig Grylls for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, scored by a convincing length and a quarter in a maiden event and clocked 1:00.37 for the 1000 metres.

“She’s got a really good turn of foot,” Scott said. “Being by Rip Van Winkle she has taken a wee while, but that was really encouraging and she’ll get through a few more grades yet.”

Bred and raced by Sir Peter Vela, Sleeping Beauty is out of the three-time winning Danehill mare Kailey Princess (NZ). That mare has produced eight winners from 10 foals to race including the stakes placegetters Prosperous Bid (NZ) (Carnegie) and Canny Princess (NZ) (Canny Lad).

Another of Kailey Princess’s foals, Sea Island (NZ) (Woodman) is the dam of the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap winner Herculian Prince (NZ) (Yamanin Vital).