TESTA Rossa mare Ortensia reaffirmed her status as a world class galloper when she added the prestigious Group 2 King George Stakes to her swag of feature wins at Goodwood in the UK overnight.
The Paul Messara trained Testa Rossa was back to her brilliant best on the drier surface letting down over the top of her rivals to take out the five furlong sprint in typical style.
Jockey William Buick, riding Ortensia for the second time, said the mare was simply better than her rivals.
“She was head and shoulders above the rest of them,” he said.
“I wanted to be just sitting behind the leaders but I don’t think she’d ever been downhill before and Paul said that I shouldn’t ask her to do anything she didn’t want to do.
“I think she’d be better over six furlongs but York would be fine for her.”
Ortensia will have her next start in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes (1000m) at York on August 24 with a possible trip to France after that.
Ortensia has won 13 times with 7 placings from 33 starts and earnings of more than $2 million.
Her feature wins include the Group 1 Meydan Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai and the WWTC Winterbottom Stakes in Perth.
She was also placed in three other Group 1 races and has won stakes races in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth to go with her two international victories.
Ortensia is the best of her sire’s 41 stakeswinners at distances ranging from 1000m up to 2500m.
Testa Rossa has been a regular in amongst the Top Ten Sire’s in Australia in recent years and stands this season at a fee of $33,000 inc GST.
