Ardrossan double strike
The weather lately has affected New Zealand spring racing in a negative sense, that is until last Saturday when it affected racing in a positive sense. At last, the weather Gods smiled and Pukekohe provided a splendid day of racing on a tip-tip surface. We were overdue. Spring is nearly over.
Recent trials at Avondale and Waipa attracted a total of 370 runners over 54 heats indicating that horses were ready but the racetracks were not. Betting revenues, the lifeblood of the industry, always increase with larger fields which at Pukehohe averaged 12.7. Half the fields attracted 14 starters. Racing matched the conditions and the four stakes races each provided a worthwhile story.
Waikato Stud’s Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice) sired a stakes double in Ardalio, winner of the Counties Bowl (Gr 3, 1100m), and two-year-old De Armas, successful in the Counties Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1100m). Nice timing just as the NZB yearling catalogues are released.
Ardalio is in for a good season. Her record is impressive having had just eight starts for four wins. Significantly, three wins have been at Group 3 level. Last season she was clearly one of New Zealand’s premier three-year-olds, signalling a bright future when taking out the Almanzor Trophy (Gr 3, 1200m) on Karaka Millions night on the eve of the 2025 NZB Yearling Sales.
That win earned a slot in the NZB Kiwi (RL, 1500m) in which she finished a creditable seventh, caught wide but may have found 1500 metres a shade far. The Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at the end of April showed her true talent when blocked for a run twice in the run home. Barging into space she exploded late and was much too good although her rider Michael McNab copped a fine and a suspension.
That same determination and acceleration was present on Saturday. Taking the lead at the 200 metres pole she looked an easy winner until Twain (Per Incanto) emerged from the pack. Ardalio saw him and simply sprinted again to score by 1.5 lengths in 1:03.25 for the 1100 metres (equivalent to 1:09 for 1200 metres).
Ardalio shows preference for sprints and races such as the Telegraph Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) look likely targets, according to stable representative Dylan Johnson. Yet to win beyond 1200 metres, the BCD Sprint (Gr 1, 1400m) in February has a question mark over it. With another year under her belt and cover until late, the extra 200 metres may be within her scope.
Bred by Elsdon Park, Ardalio was not offered for sale and is from Bridgewater (Written Tycoon), a graduate of the 2017 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Bridgewater suffered a pelvic injury which restricted her race career (two unplaced starts) but agent Bruce Perry is adamant that Bridgewater possessed talent, she was the “real deal”. Perry also reported to ANZ News that the current season has seen Elsdon Park breed three stakes winners by Ardrossan, namely Saltcoats, Ardalio and De Armas.
Bridgewater’s presence at the Easter sale was because she is by leading sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia) from a half-sister to Index Linked (Dansili) whose 12 wins included three stakes races. Another half-sister, Defy The Odds (Galileo), produced South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Leicester (Wanted).
A glance at Ardalio’s pedigree shows an interesting double up of Iglesia (Last Tycoon) who appears as Ardrosssan’s damsire as well as the sire of Ardalio’s maternal grandsire Written Tycoon. Elsdon Park’s Perry chimes in: “The double up of Iglesia was by design although it’s easy to say that now. We love Last Tycoon so the male/female Iglesia seemed good.”
Ardrossan over Bridgewater is two for two re winners. A two-year-old brother, Raymond, also by Ardrossan, has trialled and the mare foaled a Per Incanto (Street Cry) colt in 2024 before visiting Sword Of State (Snitzel).
You can’t keep them all
Completing a stakes double for Ardrossan (now sire of seven individual stakes winners) was De Armas, a filly bought from Ardalio’s breeders, Elsdon Park for a now bargain $16,000 but you can’t keep them all. De Armas is also proving a worthy advertisement for NZB’s National Online Yearling Sale in light of the fact that outstanding unbeaten three-year-old filly, New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Well Written (Written Tycoon), was sourced from last year’s edition of the sale.
De Armas was described by Elsdon Park thus: “This Ardrossan filly is a cracking type with plenty of athleticism and great movement. She has good conformation and is a sound filly with no issues.” Noted by Otaki-based trainer Johno Benner, the filly is also unbeaten in her two starts and made quite an impression when she bounded clear of her opponents in landing Saturday’s Challenge Stakes.
Racing outside the lead to the 400 metres, De Armas took over passing the 300 metres. It was over the final 150 metres that she asserted her authority when a late challenge from the favourite Harvey Wallbanger (Home Affairs) emerged, a challenge she shook off with ease by 1.8 lengths.
Benner, who was a little choked up after the win admitted two things: De Armas may well be the best he has saddled, which is quite a statement given his record, and secondly that the Karaka Million 2YO (RL, 1200m) for which she is now favourite, might not necessarily be a target.
Her dam Regal Winks (Rip Van Winkle) won twice and has foaled two winners. Her dam, Regal Thrills (Royal Academy) was Listed placed in Sydney in addition to four wins including at Moonee Valley, Morphettville and in Hong Kong. Regal Thrills ranks as a half-sister to the dams of three Group winners including Hong Kong Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) winner All Thrills (St Covet).
Blandford Lodge have enjoyed great success with this family as they bred and raced the next dam Soleil Rouge (Red Tempo). Cambria Park will offer De Aramas’s half-brother by Banquo (Written Tycoon) at NZB’s 2026 Summer Yearling Sale in January, as part of the 100th National Yearling Sales series.
Expect Ardrossan’s fortunes to rise as the quality of his mares improves. At the upcoming NZB National Yearling Sales series he is well represented with 29 in Book 1, 24 in Book 2 and ten in the Summer Sale.
Overdue
It would have been a travesty had Qali Al Farrasha (Almanzor) been retired to stud without a stakes win to her name. The five-year-old mare had previously racked up some top class performances in her career, including a solid third in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m), and last season, at four, three consecutive Group 1 placings, the best of which was a 0.1 length second in the Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m).
Therefore, a victory in Saturday’s Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) was not only deserved but overdue, even if the race distance might have been considered short of her preferred 1600 metres. Exactly one year ago she was second in the Counties Cup (Gr 3, 2100m). Winning jockey Wiremu Pinn stated: “I thought 1400 metres might be too short for her, but she proved me wrong.”
From midfield she cruised up alongside the leaders at the 300 metres and then proceeded to race clear soon after. The win was never in doubt with a 100 metres to run. In her 1.8 lengths success in a good time of 1:21.92 she turned the tables on Provence (Savabeel) who beat her in the Thorndon last January.
She doesn’t win out of turn and the Breeders’ was just win three in a career of 17 starts for prize-money earnings of $586,175, a nice result for her owners, Te Akau Stud, and Westonlea Stud who bred her in conjunction with Nearco Stud.
Qali Al Farrasha was not sold at any sale. Neither was her brother Nucleozor who was an unbeaten Listed winner in three juvenile New Zealand starts before his export to Hong Kong where he has yet to fire. Their dam is a winning half-sister to Melbourne Group 2 and Listed winner Tijuana (American Pharoah) and their granddam, Mexican Rose (Volksraad), was a champion at two and three in Singapore after scoring two-year-old wins at Ellerslie and Awapuni before her export.
For Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) Qali Al Farrasha marks stakes winner 26. NZB’s 2026 Karaka Yearling Sale series will feature 24 Almanzors in Book 1, nine in Book 2 and two in the Summer Sale.
Right leg
Another Saturday stakes scorer whose winning strike-rate is just three from 25 is Final Return (Reliable Man), successful in the Counties Cup and whose trainer, Janelle Millar, revealed that her charge races better right-handed. Left-handed he strikes himself.
An even field assembled for stayers’ feature and the result backed that up with a very crowded finish as the official margins declared were: a neck, a nose, a nose, a neck, a nose and a neck. Less than a length covered the first six across the line. Added to that is: all but three of the 14 runners carried the minimum of 53 kilograms.
Credit is due to rider Elen Nicholas whose initiative spelled the difference between winning and not when she realised that the pace was never going to suit her normally free-going mount. A clear last by three lengths entering the back straight Nicholas asked Final Return to pass all but one of the runners and co-led at the 800 metres. “We managed to go around them without him having to do too much work, and then we were able to take a bit of a breather after we got to the front as well, which was good,” said Nicholas. Into the straight they finally led alone at the 400 metres and it says much of the seven-year-old that he never relented all the way to the line. He kept finding when challenged by five runners and was very brave.
His previous best effort was a fighting third, beaten 0.7 lengths in the Avondale Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) back in March. His previous win was almost two years ago in a Benchmark 65 over 1600 metres at Wanganui.
One reference source has Final Return selling for $500 on Gavelhouse as an unnamed three-year-old. Another said he was withdrawn but if the former, Final Return has made a mockery of that price by earning in excess of $280,000. His dam Kind Return (Zabeel), a graduate of the NZB 2002 Karaka Premier Sale, won four times and placed second in the Zabeel Classic (Gr 1, 2000m). At stud she has produced six winners, Final Return her first to achieve a stakes victory.
Kind Return is a sister to Perth Cup (Gr 2, 3200m) winner Respect (Zabeel) as well as Zarzino (Zabeel), the dam of dual Group 1 winner and successful sire Tarzino (Tavistock). Their dam also produced Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Kinda Cross (Cape Cross).
Reliable Man (Dalakhani), now the sire of 29 stakes winners, will be represented by four lots during next January’s NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.