READ About Lexy and Ameretto showed why they are Bathurst’s most exciting pair of three-year-old fillies with a quinella in the Group 3 J L Raith Memorial (1,609 metres) at Menangle on Saturday.

Bernie Hewitt’s Read About Lexy ($4.20) claimed the $24,000 first prize two metres ahead of Ashlee Siejka’s Ameretto ($4.60), with Makes Every Scents ($6.60) a further 1.3m behind in third.

There seems to be no stopping Hewitt’s Sportswriter out of Lexys Laughing filly who claimed her third straight win and seventh of her career with a career best mile rate of 1:53.5. 

It was the first start for Read About Lexy at Menangle since taking out the Group 2 Breeders Challenge 2yo Fillies Pace last July and she didn’t disappoint.

A superb run home from Hewitt’s filly over the final 200m got her the victory in a race that Ameretto looked to have wrapped up.

As frustrating as a fifth consecutive runner-up finish will be for Siejka’s runner, it continues a strong run of results across a high grade of juvenile racing.

But it was Read About Lexy’s night.

“In her two-year-old season she was always known for her big finishing efforts. This was the first sort of chance this season where she could show that,” he said.

“I have to give full credit to Ameretto for that run first up. Ameretto has that brilliant gate speed, so draws are going to play a big part in her career, having good ability to find the pegs. 

“Our filly is no slouch either, getting off the line well, but having that finishing burst. There’s no reason both can’t be contesting the Group 1s this season.”

Needa Margarita had the best speed at the green light out of gate four to take up the running. 

Read About Lexy and Ameretto were the next best away.

Read About Lexy took the sit behind the leader thanks to the gate one start, while Siejka had to take Ameretto a long way across to get to the death seat from gate eight. Whitershadeofpale was worked three wide early to take the lead away from Needa Margarita as the field made their way out of the opening turn.

That move left Ameretto running level with Read About Lexy, who was three back on the inside, but Siejka started working her filly forward on the approach to the final turn.

Ameretto hit the lead on the home straight as Whitershadeofpale tired and Hewitt still had plenty of work to do, four wide on Read About Lexy.

Makes Every Scents threatened on the outside before Read About Lexy found another level to run them both down.

“There was enough speed at the start that I was able to take the drop behind the leader,” Hewitt said. “I would have burned too much to challenge for that. Whitershadeofpale coming forward put me three back, but that showed that you can’t work too hard early,” Hewitt said.

“At the 600m there was a horse struggling on my outside, so I was able to get off the pegs. You need that slice of luck sometimes. When the opening came up she was ready to strike.”