Chantilly Lace backs up from Interprovincial triumph
Paul Vettise - Raceform • August 24th, 2025 10:00 AM • 3 min read
Talented mare Chantilly Lace will be back in action on Sunday following her return to winning form last weekend.
The Chrissy Bambry-trained five-year-old will step out on the polytrack at Awapuni for the first time in the $50,000 open handicap over 1700 metres, in which she will go head-to-head with stablemate Opawa Jack.
Chantilly Lace posted her fifth career victory when she claimed the thick end of the stake on the $100,000 Interprovincial at New Plymouth and hasn’t turned a hair since.
“She bounced through that and pulled up super, by the time we got to the swab box you wouldn’t have known she’d had a run,” Bambry said.
“I’m really happy with her, she came home and ate her dinner and there’s not a lot around for her and she has trialled well on the synthetic.
“She’ll get in with a nice weight and it’s good prize-money, so it will be nice to pick up a little bit more with her and then she’ll be aimed toward the Metric Mile.”
The daughter of U S Navy Flag has stakes wins in the Listed Wanganui Guineas and Listed Castletown Stakes to her credit, as well as Group Three placings in the Gold Trail Stakes and Wellington Stakes and will be served in the spring. She failed to get into foal last season and will make a return visit to Siyouni’s four-time Group One winner Paddington at Windsor Park Stud.
Barnmate Opawa Jack, who holds a nomination for the Gr. 1 Livamol Classic, has finished fourth on the Awapuni all-weather course in both of his outings this winter.
The six-year-old has since been kept up to the mark with a grass track trial at Awapuni, winning an open 1200-metre heat.
“He was always going to benefit from a bit more time and he has come up really well,” Bambry said.
“It was nice to get those two runs into him to bring him forward in his preparation and this race really suits him as well.
“He’s a horse that I’ve rated right from day one and the penny still has to drop, and when it does finally, I think we’ll have a whole lot of fun.”
That’s not to say they haven’t already with the son of War Decree, a seven-time winner and runner-up in the Gr. 3 Trentham Stakes earlier this year.
“He was very unlucky when Whangaehu got him on the post at Trentham,” Bambry said.
