Five-year-old mare Secret Amour (NZ) (Niagara) will not join Robbie Patterson’s touring party in Queensland despite turning in a slashing performance to finish third to Francesca (NZ) (Iffraaj) in last Saturday’s Gr.3 Rydges Rotorua Stakes (1400m) at Arawa Park.

The daughter of Niagara joined Patterson’s team earlier this year from the Jamie Richards stable and made an immediate impact, winning an open handicap at Wanganui last month after coming from last.

“She had a couple of issues late in her career at Te Akau, but they had done a fantastic job with her and she had won four races for them,” Patterson said.

“I am only picking up from where they left off. I am grateful to get her and she is a magnificent mare. Her win first-up was phenomenal and her run the other day at Rotorua was virtually a winning run, without winning.

“We thought about taking her to Australia, but she won at Wanganui last time and there is a Listed race (AGC Training Stakes at WFA) there over a mile on June 4.

“It is all about black-type for these mares and given the way she won at Wanganui first-up, she obviously likes the track and she will love a mile. It will be her race to lose, I’d imagine, at weight-for-age.”