Rugged filly Mazzolino showed just how tough she is when she dominated the finish of the Gr.3 NZ Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at a rainswept Trentham.

Carrying the colours of her owner and breeder, Waikato Stud, who had earlier picked up a double on the day with wins by Boasting and Purrfect Puss, the three-year-old daughter of Savabeel relished the Heavy 10 underfoot conditions as she sat three and four wide in midfield before cruising to the lead at the top of the straight.

Asked for an effort by rider Sam Weatherley, Mazzolino produced a powerful kick to boot clear and hold out the late runs of Pennyweka and Beyond Violet to score by a length and bring up her first win at stakes level.

With trainer Stephen Marsh unable to make it to the meeting due to the chaos inflicted by the weather bomb experienced in the Auckland and Waikato regions over the past 36 hours, stable foreman Rhys Mildon was on hand to greet the filly in the Wellington winner’s enclosure.

“Geez they (Waikato Stud) breed em tough don’t they, any conditions and any day,” Mildon said.

“That is a treble for the Stud today and it is great to be a part of it.

“Stephen trained the sister (Atishu) and we know how tough she is. They have similar racing styles in they just put their head out and go and are just so tough.

“It was a very confident ride by Sam and he just took over and dominated and she was never in doubt.

“I think the further she gets the better she will go.”

Mazzolino is out of the No Excuse Needed mare, Posy and is a full sister to Atishu who won four races for Marsh, including two at stakes level before transferring to the Chris Waller stable in Sydney where she has won a further three times including the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.

Weatherley was confident of victory a long way out in the contest.

“I couldn’t go any slower and I had a handful of her the whole way,” he said.

“She has had the audacity to hit the front and when she saw the crowd at the 100m, she pricked her ears she was doing it that easily.

“She was in the zone today and tries her heart out. Getting her back on better ground will also help as she is quite a good filly.”

Mazzolino took her career record to three wins from nine starts and over $128,000 for Waikato Stud who are counting down to the start of the 2023 National Yearling Sale at Karaka.

The first day of the sale starts on Sunday 29 January with the stud to offer a total of sixty individuals during the Book 1 sale.