New Zealand Latest
12 for Time Test
Omega Boy (5 g ex Bit Of Crumpet by Duke Of Marmalade) provided Time Test (Dubawi) with a 12th individual stakes winner when taking out Saturday’s Japan Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m) at Tauranga. Trained by Peter and Trent Didham, the five-year-old took his tally to five wins and six placings from his 22 starts as he beat Sterling Express (Shamexpress) by 0.7 lengths. Khafre (American Pharoah) finished another 0.8 lengths away in third. Omega Boy is out of the placed Duke Of Marmalade (Danehill) mare Bit Of Crumpet and comes from an extended family that includes Australian stakes winners Sir Luminar (Choisir) and Luminia (Semipalantinsk). Having formerly shuttled to Little Avondale Stud from the National Stud in England, Time Test now resides permanently in Turkey.
Apprentice McNab delighted to land Group 2 prize
Trainers Peter and Trent Didham placed their faith in Sam McNab to get the job done on Omega Boy in the Japan Trophy and the apprentice handled the task with aplomb, getting the best out of his mount in the closing stages as he charged late to snatch victory. “That was awesome as I’ve been getting great support lately and to get these wins after working so hard is quite rewarding,” a delighted McNab said. “The plan was to settle behind the speed somewhere and he jumped well so I elected to hold him up a little and we got into a nice spot. I went to the fence and when Michael [McNab aboard Qali Al Farrasha] got going I got a nice track into the race and just had to run down the leader which he did. That last little bit, Sterling Express just folded up a little and my horse was tough and got through the ground.”
Group 1 plans for Ronaldo
Exciting two-year-old Ronaldo (Ribchester) will have a shot at Trentham’s Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) on March 28 after he scored for the second time in as many starts when landing the opener at Wanganui on Saturday. Having won on debut at New Plymouth last month, the Robbie Paterson-trained Ronaldo was backed into a $1.60 favourite for the 1200-metre contest and duly obliged, posting a comprehensive 2.3-length victory over Pinafore (Pinatubo) in the hands of Craig Grylls. “I have got a lot of time for this horse,” the winning rider said. “He was really good again today, he jumped well and put himself there. He just got pestered the whole race, we were going along quite nicely and the one outside us was being really annoying, but it didn’t worry him, he was composed, he balanced up and kicked really good. He’s a proper horse I think.” Patterson was just as impressed with Ronaldo’s winning effort and is excited about what’s ahead of him. “He is just a cool horse, he even buttoned off with the horse outside him racing him and put half a length on him. I see he had the cheek to prick his ears over the line. They are good signs.” said the winning trainer. “He will get a mile now I would say. He looks like a three-year-old now, he is exciting. He is only two, there is so much upside to him, he could be one of the better three-year-olds next year.” Ronaldo, who was bred and is raced by Ron and Shirley Miller, is out of seven-win mare Miss Daisy (Any Suggestion), herself a half-sister to stakes performer Real Specialist (Storming Home).
Elite company beckons for Bedtime Story
Another try at elite-level company looks to be on the cards for Bedtime Story (Per Incanto) after the mare returned to winning ways with a narrow victory in an open handicap over 1340 metres at Wanganui on Saturday. The five-year-old, who carries the colours of breeder Henrietta, the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, was freshened following her last start at Trentham in early January and made a winning return in her 1000-metre trial at Foxton earlier this month, giving her trainers Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos plenty of confidence ahead of her fresh-up run. “It was a terrific trial the other day so I was just hoping that she would back that up and she has,” Lowry said following the 0.1-length win over Cooper (Tivaci) under Kelly Myers. “Today was a good effort under a good weight [60 kilograms]. “I think she is better in the autumn this mare, she has got good ability, and she is really coming into her age.” Bedtime Story is now set to return to elite-level in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Trentham in a fortnight. “She is going really well so we will [go to the Breeders’ Stakes],” Lowry said. Twice stakes-placed, Bedtime Story, who has posted five wins from 21 starts, will try to improve on her half-sister Dragon Queen’s (Sweynesse) fourth-placed run in the corresponding race four years ago.
Churchillian back to her best in Tauranga victory
Speedy mare Churchillian (Churchill) showed what she is capable of given her own terms in front when she bolted home in the open sprint over 1200 metres at Tauranga on Saturday. Trained by Tony Pike, the six-year-old made all under Sam Collett to come home 5.8 lengths clear of her nearest challenger December (Shamexpress), taking her record to nine wins in 22 starts in the process. Pike had harboured some doubts before the race about Churchillian handling the Heavy 8 track conditions, however those fears proved unfounded as she dashed home on her first start since Boxing Day. “She has always been a promising mare all along, who has had a few injury niggles,” the winning trainer said. “But when she is good, she is very good. It was a beautiful ride by Sam as there looked to be a lot of speed in the race, which everyone read the same, but they went at a real modest tempo and the way the track was playing she was dominant. She has never really performed on soft track conditions, so that was a concern, but hard up against the rail was the place to be. We were using this race as a lead-up to Trentham in two weeks where she is going to a 1400-metre Listed race.”