Looking ahead
Labour Day weekend saw Riccarton the New Zealand focus on Saturday, Trentham took over for Sunday but Monday’s Te Rapa meeting was halted after race two. Spring’s weather gremlins continue to haunt the industry and drizzle caused a slip and a fall, denying the public a much awaited James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m), a popular lead up to next month’s classic Group 1 Guineas races.
So, just the three stakes, namely the War Decree Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) for three-year-olds, the Spring Classic (Listed, 2000m) and the Thompson Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m).
At start four Origin Of Love (Snitzel) bagged the War Decree Stakes, her second victory, with much of the credit to be directed towards rider Joe Doyle who somehow managed to extricate the filly from a tight spot approaching the 300 metres. She levelled up to be one of three across the track at the 150 metres then stuck on gamely when challenged late.
Origin Of Love was purchased from the Arrowfield Stud draft for $440,000 at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Te Akau’s David Ellis. She is the first and so far only foal of her dam, Group 2-placed Sydney and Melbourne winner Re Edit (Camelot), to race. The Waller/Mulcaster team outlayed $360,000 for the filly’s 2023 younger brother.
Her stakes-placed grandam So Divine (High Chaparral) ranks as a sister to Monaco Consul, successful in the Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) as well as the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) while her great grandam is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Military Plume (Sir Tristram).
The Spring Classic saw Sir Albert (Savabeel) break through for his maiden stakes win, thus the 152nd individual stakes winner for Savabeel (Zabeel). Given a perfect ride by Leah Hemi, he sat one out and one back until the home straight, moved out three wide soon after and took over well before the 300 metres. Clear at the 100 metres he was never in any danger of defeat.
Sir Albert was bred by Waikato Stud but was not offered for sale at Karaka. Instead he was offered via Gavelhouse’s NZB 2020 National Weanling Sale but failed to reach his reserve. Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick retained a part share in the now six-year-old gelding who has raced 25 times, logging eight wins and banking $265,350.
He is one of three winners from four to race from his unraced dam Diana Dors (O’Reilly) whose brothers are Group 2 winners Vigor and Joey Massino. Vigor won eight times and ran third in a Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m). Joey Massino won seven times including the Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m). Diana Dors’ half-brother Vincent Mangano (No Excuse Needed) scored four Listed races including the Karaka Millions (RL, 1200m).
Sunday’s feature, Trentham’s Thompson Handicap, resulted in back-to-back Group 3s for Hi Yo Sass Bomb (Complacent). This latest win was against her pattern of settling back before a strong finish. Away smartly, she took over the lead at the 1400 metres then ran her rivals ragged, clear by two and half lengths at the wire. The seven-year-old mare enjoys Trentham where she landed her first Group 3, the Cuddle Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) in 2024 and arrived at Trentham off the back of the Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) win earlier in the month. In 26 starts she has recorded seven wins, a Group 1 second and earnings of $450,270.
Positively beaming
Spring stakes results affect stallion bookings and several New Zealand studs have plenty to crow about as the breeding season approaches its third month. However, those same results are proving superb timing for New Zealand Bloodstock who wrapped up their Ready To Run breeze-ups at Te Rapa last Tuesday. NZB’s managing director Andrew Seabrook will be positively beaming.
The next few months are huge for the auctioneer as they prepare to stage the 100th National Yearling Sale, the first 61 at Trentham and the upcoming 39th at Karaka. Preparations began in November of 2023 and it is anticipated that NZB will be going all out to make the 100th a truly memorable event. They have plenty to celebrate.
Their November 12th and 13th Ready To Run Sale is the most successful sale of its kind and continues to grow in stature. Vendors have perfected the art of sourcing and presenting future successful racehorses. The sale sets the standard and the breeze-ups are conducted on the same surface for all entries providing consistent comparison between lots.
Wm Inglis just concluded their version of the sale and achieved a new high turnover of $19.05 million, an increase of $2.3 million over 2024 for the one day sale. Such a result will be encouraging for NZB. Their sale is a bumper two-day catalogue which this year includes a vast array of sires. It might be an old saying but this year, “something for everyone” is truer than ever.
Added to the historical success of the Ready To Run Sale are recent stakes results, timed perfectly to entice buyers from Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Represented by four lots is Shamexpress (O’Reilly), sire of The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) winner and world champion sprinter, Ka Ying Rising. With 13 lots is Per Incanto (Street Cry), sire of Everest third Jimmysstar.
From this past weekend, the grand old man Savabeel took his individual stakes winners tally to 152, inching ever closer to the record 166 set by his amazing sire Zabeel (Sir Tristram). Savabeel has 11 two-year-olds catalogued and two of his sons saluted in stakes races on Saturday. The newest is Sir Albert, winner of the Spring Classic at Riccarton. At Moonee Valley, his son Von Hauke took out the Crystal Mile (Gr 2, 1600m) which was his second black-type victory, having scored in Flemington’s Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) in March of 2024.
Also at Moonee Valley was She’s A Hustler (Ace High) whose record is quite impressive. Her nine career starts include six wins and three second placings, the Tesio Stakes (Gr 3, 2040m) being her maiden stakes success. Ace High (High Chaparral) has six lots available at Karaka.
Tarzino (Tavistock) sired last Thursday’s Geelong Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) winner Torranzino who is guaranteed a start in next month’s $10 million Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m). Tarzino will be represented by 19 lots at Karaka. On the same Geelong card was Azazel (Shocking), winner of the Geelong Classic (Listed, 2200m) and Shocking (Street Cry) will have four lots on offer.
Ace card
Perhaps the most interesting New Zealand-bred stakes winner at Moonee Valley was She’s A Hustler whose record is wonderfully consistent. The five-year-old mare has raced just nine times and has not finished worse than second including six wins. Her career has been exceptionally well managed by trainer Grahame Begg and Saturday’s breakthrough stakes victory won’t be the mare’s last.
Similar to a number of successful New Zealand bred stakes winners, She’s A Hustler began her career in New Zealand, in her case as a three-year-old with Roger James and Robert Wellwood, finishing second on debut at Matamata almost two years ago.
In Australia as a four-year-old her six starts resulted in wins at Geelong, Pakenham and twice at Sandown, wrapping up her season with a tough second in the Centaurea Stakes (Listed, 2017m). This season she took out a Benchmark 78 (1800m) at Flemington fresh up prior to Saturday’s Tesio Stakes win. This latest win indicates that the mare is stronger this time in and more wins can be expected. She is totally honest.
A $70,000 purchase from Book 1 of the 2022 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale from the Rich Hill draft, She’s A Hustler is one of five winners from Snow Petal (Bernardini), a winning half-sister to Sydney Group 3 winner Crafty Irna (Starcraft). They are daughters of New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Zirna (Deputy Governor) who was also a major earner in Singapore, banking more than S$1.2 million.
Quirky yet demanding
Old Moonee Valley was a quirky track but the comparatively odd shape had its place despite its quirks including tight turns, long side straights and short 200-metre home straight. While the design favoured on-pace runners who could negotiate the corners, one only needs to look at the long list of champions who were successful there which can only mean that champions find a way.
The old design required great versatility. Instead of waiting for the last run from the 400 metres, old Moonee Valley demanded more. It demanded starting the run from the 600 metres, or earlier, then sustaining the effort once into the short home straight. Again, champions do that.
After 105 runnings, old Moonee Valley gets a refurbishment which realigns the layout by 90 degrees, meaning that the new home straight will occupy what was once the side of the course. The tightish turns will remain but the home straight will increase by about 50 per cent to more than 300 metres.
Will the redesign be better? Only time will tell but for all its oddities the old track had something. It had a point of difference which tested horses. New Moonee Valley will be amazing and as long as the track maintains its unique atmosphere, all will be well.
Huge swings
A look at the Australian Sires’ championship sees huge changes within the last two weeks. The Everest winner Ka Ying Rising and a sudden boost of $7 million has swept his sire Shamexpress to the top of the list. Of course, this will be temporary as the season advances.
The biggest movers are recently departed Fastnet Rock (Danehill) and Lonhro (Octagonal), who died last year. Prior to last weekend Fastnet Rock sat 24th on the list but a great quinella via his northern hemisphere-breds Via Sistina and Buckaroo in the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) jumped the champion sire all the way to second. Incidentally, both Via Sistina and Buckaroo are bred on the same Fastnet Rock-Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) cross. Meanwhile, Lonhro, courtesy of a rich weekend Randwick double via Attica and Lindermann, leapt from 15th to 8th.