The newly-established TAB Racing Club will have their first juvenile runners to the races at Ellerslie on Saturday, including Dorothea for trainer Pam Gerard.

A filly by Proisir, Dorothea was selected by the Ballymore Stables contingent and purchased for $150,000 out of Highline Thoroughbreds’ draft at the Karaka Yearling Sales in January.

Her most recent of two trial appearances was a creditable fourth behind Return To Conquer, the highly-impressive winner of last Saturday’s Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m).

Matamata-based Gerard was rapt to be offered the opportunity to select one of the original yearlings for the TAB Racing Club and is pleased with her filly’s progress.

“The TAB are very generous in getting horses out there for the public to race and this was the one we chose,” she said.

“I’m really happy with the choice we made. She’s got a great nature on her, she’s cute, she’s pretty and I’ve gotten a lot of comments from the TAB that she’s got a lot of followers as such a nice type.

“Hopefully she can go and do the job.”

Dorothea is eligible for the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) in January, the obvious target for juveniles, but Gerard indicated she expects a more refined version of the filly later in the season.

“She’s a really lovely filly with plenty of upside about her, she’s only going to keep improving,” Gerard said.

“It’s a bit of an ask to go up to Auckland (on Saturday), but she’s got a lovely temperament on her and she’ll cope with it really well.

“It can be a bit hard on some of these younger ones, but she’s certainly a filly that will be a lot better next prep. I would like to get a run into her to see which way she’s going to go, obviously we’re all trying to get to the Karaka Millions if possible, but I do think she’ll be a better filly after that.

“We’ll just see how she goes on Saturday.”

Dorothea will be joined in the maiden two-year-old contest by Te Akau Racing filly In Haste, who is owned by the TAB Racing Club, alongside Newgate Operations and breeders SF Bloodstock. The daughter of Snitzel is a half-sister to Australian Group One winner Prompt Response and Group Three winner Prompt Return.

Earlier in the week, Gerard will have a trio of runners at Te Aroha on Wednesday, including Pericles in the Keith Miller 1400.

The Rubick four-year-old won last season’s Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1200m) and got within a nose of subsequent Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m) and Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m) winner Luberon in a fresh state at Ellerslie in September.

Pericles was set to run last Saturday at Pukekohe, but a wide draw deterred Gerard under a big impost. The intention for the gelding remains the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m), with a nomination for the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) also submitted.

“The draw was just far too wide with that much weight on his back at Pukekohe to start, it wasn’t ideal,” Gerard said.

“That race (Stella Artois Championship Final) is on the plan and what we are aiming for with him, we just haven’t had a lot of luck with draws. I can’t really explain his last run, I think he just got too far back with too much weight.

“He’s a horse with a lot of ability and we’re trying to get him to the best race we can.”

Pencarrow Stud galloper Naxos has the topweight in the Capistrano Lodge 1000, after pleasing Gerard in a competitive open trial at Waipa.

“He trialled really well the other day fresh, but he’s a small horse that has to carry a bit of weight so we’ve taken a couple of kilos off,” she said.

“It’s still a lot of weight for him to carry, but it’s not a bad little race for him starting off, it’s on our back doorstep and is almost like another trial for him.”

Zacinto filly Zerre is bringing a strong form reference into the Diprose Miller 3YO 1150, finishing third behind Hankee Alpha and Adelante at the venue on October 30, with the latter going on to salute comfortably on a good surface at Rotorua.

“She’s a filly with a lot of ability, she’s just doing a few things wrong,” Gerard said.

“This distance probably suits her, I do think she’s probably a little bit better left-handed, but the timing was right to have a go and it’s the right race for her at this stage."