by Mike Curry

New Zealand champion older horse Sir Slick demonstrated his class on Saturday at Ellerslie by holding off fast-closing challengers Ombre Rose and Dezigna to win the $158,880 First Sovereign Trust Starcraft New Zealand Stakes (NZ-G1).

The Volksraad gelding, who won four Group 1 races in 2007, set an uncontested pace under jockey Bruce Herd in the 2,000-meter (9.94-furlong) race for three-year-olds and older. Sir Slick opened up a clear lead entering the stretch and dug in determinedly as the favorite to hold off runner-up Ombre Rose by a neck in the closing strides.

Trained by Graeme Nicholson and Paul Allbon, Sir Slick completed the distance in 2:02.49 on turf rated as dead for owners B. N. Brown and Gayle Nicholson.

Ombre Rose and third-place finisher Dezigna were rated off the pace and challenged Sir Slick with about 200 meters remaining. Ombre Rose edged Dezigna by a head to finish second.

Sir Slick could be pointed to either the $1,796,200 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-G1) at Sha Tin on April 27 or the Singapore Cup at Kranji racecourse on May 18.

Fully Fledged rallied gamely from the inside to collar runner-up Raid in the closing strides and win the $158,880 Ford Diamond Stakes (NZ-G1) by a neck on Saturday at Ellerslie.

The Align colt completed 1,000 meters (5.97 furlongs) in 1:11.41 on turf rated as dead.

Murray Baker trains Fully Fledged for owners A. J. Sutherland, A. C. Timpson, and P. J. Walker.

Raid held off fast-closing third-place finisher Il Quello Veloce by a neck.

Mike Curry is Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor