Habibi (foaled 4 September 2009) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

thoroughbred racehorse. She is most noted for winning the 2013

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

; one of only five fillies since 1980 to achieve this feat. She is trained by Donna and Dean Logan. Habibi made her raceday debut in October 2012, winning at her home track of Ruakaka. Wins at Avondale and Ellerslie followed, before she was asked to take on the top male three-year-olds over the Ellerslie Christmas Carnival. This decision proved successful, with Habibi easily winning both the Great Northern Guineas on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

and the

Championship Stakes The Championship Stakes, run at Ellerslie Racecourse, is a Group 2 horse race run for three-year-olds at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. When the New Zealand Derby was moved from December to March in the 2005-06 season, the race w ...

on New Year's Day. These wins made her unbeaten in five starts, and saw her become a clear favourite for the New Zealand Derby. A solid run for third in the Avondale Guineas was her only subsequent lead-up run to the Derby. In the Derby, she started from the inside barrier, settled four-back on the rail before getting clear in the straight and running down another filly, Fix, for a half-length win. The victory gave rider Vinnie Colgan his fifth success in the New Zealand Derby, the most of any rider since the race was moved to Ellerslie in 1973.

References

{{Reflist Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in New Zealand 2009 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 14-b

See also

References