Kia Ora out to continue early season success with dual-state stakes hand
Kia Ora Stud’s familiar light and dark blue silks are primed for another big Saturday, with the powerhouse operation fielding a trio of stakes runners across The Valley and Randwick.
The Scone-based farm is already on the board this spring, courtesy of Tropicus’ (Too Darn Hot) authoritative 2.25-length pillar-to-post win in The Heath (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield for Anthony and Sam Freedman last weekend.
“He’s come through the run well,” Kia Ora’s racing manager Luke Wilkinson told ANZ News.
“It was great to see him do it now as a four-year-old against the older horses. He’s lovely, he’s the most beautiful colt both temperament wise, and physique – you wouldn’t know he was a colt. It’s great to see him put it together and win another group three.”
The son of Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) is now being aimed at the Schillaci Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) on October 11 at Caulfield.
“It’s five to six right weeks between runs, we will keep him fresh, and we think he can go on and win again. If he were to win the Scillaci or the Oakleigh Plate in February, we’d love to have him here at Stud,” Wilkinson said.
This weekend, Kia Ora’s headline act will be the regally-bred filly Esha (Extreme Choice), who bids to follow in her sire’s footsteps by taking out the Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at The Valley.
The three-year-old filly is unbeaten in two starts to date, scoring in dominant style on debut in a 1000-metre maiden at Morphettville on May 17 before reappearing with a similar result at The Valley on August 9, leading throughout to blast her rivals over the 1000 metres.
Since then, she has trialled at Mornington where she beat a handy field and stopped the clock at 56.46 over 1000 metres under Saturday’s rider Jamie Melham.
“I feel she’s improved,” Esha’s trainer Shane Nichols told ANZ News. “She’s been perfect in her work, had a little jump out that was outstanding to give Jamie a bit of a feel of her, and she’s been fairly faultless since she raced.
“Jamie was pretty impressed about how she lowered and lengthened when she asked her to quicken, and also how quickly she stepped into what was a pretty hot tempo and how well she settled. So she was full of praise on how she’s gone.”
From barrier four and carrying an expected low weight of 50.5 kilograms, Nichols expects the front-running filly to be prominent again.
“With the low weight we’ll certainly be up on speed,” he said. “There looks to be plenty of speed in the race, but I’d imagine we settle close to it.
“Unless something goes wrong at the start and she dawdles out of the gates, I think we can pozzy up in a nice spot. I’m just hoping that we can have a bit of luck and she gets her chance.”
Although untested at stakes level, Nichols believes Esha has the class of a Group 1 horse and has more elite-level tasks in mind for the daughter of Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) later this spring.
“She’s on a Danehill to Coolmore target, but you never know if she happens to win, she could even finish up with an invitation to The Everest. I’m not sure we’d go, but that would certainly be somewhere on the radar, I would think,” Nichols said.
Earlier on The Valley card, Kia Ora will combine with Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr in the McKenzie Stakes (Listed, 1200m), where Space Rider (Zoustar) will also tackle stakes company for the first time.
The colt, out of Group 3 winner Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom) and from the family of Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai), was an impressive last-start winner over the course and distance and connections have one eye on the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) this spring.
“He’s come through the run great. He has trained on nicely, and the Mckenzie Stakes is a lovely lead up into the Caulfield Guineas Prelude and Caulfield Guineas,” Wilkinson said.
“I think the draw [barrier five] suits – he will be in a forward position, and if Bacash leads from barrier three, we can just cross him and sit outside.
“If we have to sit one pair further back, I think we will find a lovely spot. Michael Dee is the new rider and he’s a top jockey, so I think he’ll run well. Obviously, there’s big wraps on Rosberg, but he has to do it on race day now.”
Bred by Michael Christian’s Longwood Thoroughbred Farm and a $500,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling, Wilkinson is hopeful Space Rider can earn valuable black type this campaign.
“It’d be good for the breeders and for Kia Ora and TFI as well. We think he can be a stakes horse this preparation. I’m leaning towards the Caulfield Guineas Prelude as to where he can most likely win, but Saturday’s race would be a good result as well,” he said.
Further north at Randwick, Annabel and Rob Archibald will send out talented filly Tupakara (Trapeze Artist) in the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), where James McDonald takes the ride for the first time. Wilkinson believes Saturday will be a good kick off point for the Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m)-placed filly, who will improve over further later on this spring.
“She’s a Group 1-placed two-year-old and hasn’t won a maiden yet, but she raced in all the top races as a two-year-old,” he said.
“The form round is very good, but I think she’d be better suited to 1400 metres at her next run, which is the Tea Rose Stakes on the 20th [of September]. So Saturday’s run from barrier 11 will be more of a lead-in to the Tea Rose. She got 1600 metres as a two-year-old – she ran third in the Champagne Stakes, so we think she’ll run well there.”
As for the rest of the spring, Kia Ora have a brigade of nice horses set to contest the top races across the country.
“It’s exciting,” Wilkinson said. “The team’s going really well. Next week, we’re likely to have three fillies in the one stakes race at Flemington, and that’s the challenge for me to split them up or find different races, but it’s also a great honour to have three runners in the same race – the team’s going really well.
“Mr. [Ananda] Krishnan passed away last November, so it’s a privilege to work for the Kia Ora brand. And hopefully we can get a Group 1 in Mr. Krishnan’s colours this spring.”