Ruud Awakening flies home

Two-year-old filly Ruud Awakening showed her rivals a clean pair of heels to score a comfortable two-and-a-quarter length win in the Listed Wellesley Stakes over 1000m at Trentham, New Zealand to become the 17th Stakes winner for her Eclipse Award winning sire Bernardini.

Coming into the race off the back of an impressive barrier trial win, Ruud Awakening was made the race favourite and she was strong to the line to win with something in hand.

Bred by Premier Bloodstock, Ruud Awakening is out of the Danehill (USA) mare Dawn Almighty, a half-sister to the Sydney Listed winner Chester County.

Bernardini sired his 16th Stakes winner earlier in the week when the Darley-homebred Solemn won the Geelong Classic in impressive fashion and is now bound for the G1 VRC Derby in a week's time.

Three-time Grade 1 winner Bernardini is the sire of five Grade 1 winners, headed by the Woodward Stakes winner To Honor And Serve as well as G1 Breeders' Cup Classic entrant Alpha. He is standing the current southern hemisphere breeding season at Darley Kelvinside where his fee in 2012 is $55,000 (inc. GST).