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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
SIMONA successfully defended her Champion Fillies stakes when she got the better of three other runners at Borrowdale Racecourse on Sunday.

The five-year-old mare by Gimmethegreenlight was drawn third carrying 60kg and had Caleb Habib as the pilot and they went home $4 600 richer.

Coming off the Bridget Stidolph yard Simona won the same race last year, beating Belle Epoque by 1.25 lengths. There were eight runners in 2017 but of these only Simona was lining up for a repeat performance.

Simona came into the race with eight wins and placed nine times from 23 starts. She was one of the favorites as the reigning Spey Bridge Champion Older Horse and Horse Of The Year for the 2017/18 season.

On second place was Mia Finola a three-year-old-filly by Var (USA).

The Bridget Stidolph yard runner had Brendon McNaughton on the irons and once again proved his worth registering his fifth place in nine starts.

On third place was Solinski who partnered Jarryd Penny for the Kirk Swanson stable. The five-year-old-mare by Fencing Master had won five of her seven previous starts, including the 1800m Silver Slipper, the Bloodstock SA 2000, the Zimbabwe Derby and the Zimbabwe Oaks, but has not raced since June 2017.

Solinski was coming back from an injury which resulted in her missing the whole of her four-year-old career and she had not met Simona before.

In The Mood also from Kirk Swanson completed the top four.

The four-year-old filly by Bold Silvano had the company of Stalone Sawere.