Group 1 placed daughter of Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir scores her first win at Group level

Winner of the Counties Bowl (Listed, 1100m) last November and third in the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year's Day, Levante (4 m Proisir - Island Doy by Doyoun) won her first race at Group level when taking out Saturday's Westbury Classic (Gr 2, 1400m) at Ellerslie. 

With 600 metres left to run, the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained daughter of Proisir (Choisir) was last in the ten-horse field. Under Sam Collett, Levante was taken around the outside of the field and after straightening showed an impressive turn of foot to run down the middle of the track and score an easy two length victory over Our Alley Cat (Atlante) with Familia (Makfi) another three quarters of a length back in third. 

"It wasn't until I got about a third of the way into the straight that I thought I'm alright," Collett said.

"She was flat, not travelling that great and a long way off them.

"I had to keep my composure and keep her balanced but when I asked her in those first few strides she just surged and I knew then it was going to be okay.

"She is what jockeys' dreams are made of, she is just unreal and I'm just rapt to be a part of it. She just seems to get lower and longer and you probably don't appreciate just how fast she is.

"At home she is very casual and just goes about her business."

From eight career starts Levante has won six times and been placed in the other two. She is one of five winners and the only stakes winner out of the winning mare Island Doy (Doyoun) who was bought for just NZ$3,000 at the 2005 New Zealand Bloodstock Westbury Stud Reduction Sale. Levante is her dam's only stakes winner while she is a half-sister to the stakes placed pair Doyenne (Kilimanjaro) and Miss Isle (Bachelor Duke). 

Proisir has four lots catalogued for Book 1 of the Karaka 2021 Sale.