Highly talented Pencarrow Stud mare Quintessentially (NZ) (High Chaparral) bounced back to winning form with an outstanding performance in the $50,000 Dunstan Feeds Championship Qualifier (2100m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

Ridden by Danielle Johnson and trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, the four-year-old mare dived through a narrow gap along the inside and snatched a thrilling narrow victory over Blizzard (NZ) (Any Suggestion).

Quintessentially has now won three of her four starts. She won both of her first two starts last season, then resumed with a ninth placing at Ellerslie late last month.

Bred and raced by Sir Peter Vela, Quintessentially is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Uberalles (NZ). Herself Group 1-placed in the New Zealand Derby, Uberalles is a daughter of the champion Pencarrow mare Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm).

Uberalles is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Giant’s Causeway gallopers Duquesa (NZ) and Imperium (NZ), as well as Sopra Tutto (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy) – the dam of Group 3 winner Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi).

The third dam is Romanee Conti (NZ) (Sir Tristram), herself a racehorse of the highest quality as well as the dam of Ethereal and elite Pencarrow broodmares Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel) and Our Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel).