Onward and upward
“They’re nice foals and if they can run it will be all on. He probably represents the best value of any stallion in the country. He can only go one way and that is upwards.”
Those were the comments from Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick in May 2021, when the first foals by Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice) were at the weaning stage.
At the same time, Chittick added: “He fits a similar profile to Centaine, who had 34 foals his first year [Ardrossan had 39] and had an amazing first crop of 12 stakes winners.”
Chittick’s latter comment is some time from being realised, but his former comment is already true as the stallion is off to a more than promising start.
From nine runners, Ardrossan can boast two stakes winners, the first being Waikato Stud’s own Codigo, winner of the Wellesley Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Trentham, a couple of weeks before the 2023 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale. Codigo has had just the two starts and remains unbeaten and his stakes result was timely for the seven Ardrossan Book 1 lots offered and sold. Their top price was $260,000 and two further lots fetched $130,000 and $190,000.
Of the 12 lots in Book 2, ten sold and the top two made $150,000 and $135,000. Considering that Ardossan’s fee in 2020 was a paltry $3,000, breeders made huge gains.
On the other hand, Loch Katrina was purchased at the 2022 Book 2 sale for not much money, in fact realising just $6,000. That’s the difference when stakes results begin to take place.
Ardrossan’s initial fee (2019) began at $8,000 (all fees plus GST), but due to the Covid pandemic and the great uncertainty prevailing throughout 2020 and 2021, Waikato Stud went low, hence Chittick’s “best value” line.
For 2022, the fee was increased, to $6,000, but that, too, backs Chittick’s comment that there is only one way and that is upwards.
The nine runners of his first crop also include a third winner and two placegetters, so his fee has been increased to $10,000 for 2023. The upside remains and in this writer’s opinion, he still represents value.
The stallion’s second stakes winner, Loch Katrine, was tough in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1600m). She had to be. The two-year-olds were faced with a slog through a Heavy 10 track.
Twice placed prior to her breakthrough, she was beaten by a head on debut, coincidentally at Pukekohe also on a Heavy 10 surface, last month. At her second start she ran third on top of the ground at Ruakaka.
In the Champagne Stakes she outstayed them. She was a handy third early, before drifting to share sixth (two out) at the end of the back straight. From the 800 metres, she went forward (wide) and from the 600 was widest, but at the top of the straight was almost level with the leader. Michael McNab urged her to a narrow lead inside the 300 metres, fought off a solid challenge at the 200 metres, then stayed on best for a tough win.
“She got through the ground okay, but she’s not very big and is pretty good on a better track, so I made a point of trying to keep her in fresh ground,” said McNab. “I kept her rolling and she was just so tough the last bit.”
In another coincidence, Loch Katrine’s dam, five-race winner Cong’er (Zenno Rob Roy) scored her most important win, the Listed Karaka Classic at Pukekohe, over the same 1600 metres, also on a heavy track, back in 2012.
Since being retired to stud, Cong’er has had three foals to the races for two winners. Cong’er ranks as a half-sister to Trentham Group 3 winner Bahira (Volksraad) and their dam, Conifer Bay (Virginia Privateer), was a Group 1 winner of the Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie and ran second to Dundeel’s (High Chaparral) grandam, Staring (Fiesta Star), in the 1992 New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
Conifer Bay is from a half-sister to the good stayer, Group 2 winner Northfleet (Kazakstaan), winner of nine races and who ran second in the Wellington Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) and third in the Auckland Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
Almanzors please Cambridge Stud
Pukekohe’s staying test for the three-year-olds, the Championship Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) resulted in another maiden winner, Cheval D’Or (Almanzor). Although the only non-winner in the field of ten, due to her recent form she was installed as the favourite and that support proved fully justified when she took command over the final 100 metres in a strong win.
Her five lead up races included a solid last-start third in the Manawatu Classic (Gr 3, 2000m) and in the start before that, a game fourth in the Sunline Vase (Gr 3, 2100m). Her first three races saw her run twice third and once second so the filly is honest and consistent.
In the Championship Stakes, she was midfield with a lap to run but was pushed back to third-last starting the back straight, holding there (wide) to the end of the back straight. Jockey Michael McNab sent her forward from the 800 metres and inside the 600 metres was widest, but gaining on the leaders. Into the straight she was third, challenged and grabbed the lead at the 200 metres then asserted her authority over the final 100 for the win.
McNab was impressed with the filly: “When Tony [Pike] gave me the colours, I asked him what he thought and he said he thought she would love the wet track. He wasn’t wrong, as the whole way she just travelled beautifully.”
Cheval D’Or became the eighth individual stakes winner for Almanzor (Wootton Bassett), his third in Australasia and second this season, the other being Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner, Manzoice.
Maintaining the “onward and upward theme”, it is easy to forget that Almanzor has just two crops to the races. It seems as if he has been around a lot longer but that could be due to his impact at the sales with his initial crop. It is only 14 months since his Dynastic impressively won the Karaka 2YO Million (RL, 1200m), then was narrowly defeated by the very good filly, Licketysplit (Turn Me Loose), in the Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Cambridge Stud CEO, Henry Plumptre, had several illuminating comments for Kiwi Chronicles when we contacted him after Cheval D’Or’s nice win: “When Dynastic won the Karaka Million, it was against the run of play for a big leggy colt who looked like a Classic horse as a yearling, but performed like a precocious two-year-old to win the Million.”
“The remainder of his first–crop two-year-olds were relatively quiet, but we received very positive feedback from a number of trainers in New Zealand and Australia that his progeny, while not necessarily precocious, were going to make lovely three-year-olds,” said Plumptre. “The fact that the buying bench stepped up again gave us confidence that both Australian and New Zealand trainers liked his stock.”
“Almanzor’s record this season is, perhaps, frustrating but overall, hugely impressive from a horse that was always destined to become a sire of middle–distance Classic horses, if he was anything at all.”
The son of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) has been represented by a flurry of black-type performers as three-year-olds. Apart from Manzoice, Almanzor’s stock have added four Australasian Group 1 Classic placings this season.
Virtuous Circle ran second in the Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m); Andalus ran second in the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m); Mehzebeen ran second in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) and Blue Solitaire ran third in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
Further Group placed performers are Holymanz, Marvelouz, Safura and Devildom. Frustrating, maybe, but they can run and when tried over the longer distances, are way above average.
We should not be surprised that the Almanzors have shown their ability at three and over some ground. Although he scored at two, the Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux was over 1600 metres and his three Group 1 victories the following season were at 2100 metres and ten furlongs (2000 metres).
Plumptre concurred, wrapping up his comments with: “It is interesting that his best form at three was in the latter stages of the season – in the two Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and Ascot, beating the older horses and a total of 11 Group winners. We are excited about the future as we know there is an abundance of good types developing in stables across Australia and New Zealand and we are delighted that so many owners have had the benefit and excitement of owning a stakes horse by him.”
High expectations
Cheval D’Or’s trainer, Tony Pike, took a fancy to the first crop of Almanzor, outlaying $645,000 for three lots. In conjunction with The Oaks Stud, Cheval D’or accounted for $420,000 of that total, the equal second top–priced lot by the stallion. The other $420,000 lot was for Andalus (see above).
Nine Book 1 lots that year made $300,000 or more, so, much was expected, including Cheval D’Or who has quite a family to back up her price.
Her dam, Keepa Cheval (Keeper) has had seven to the races for seven winners. They include Cheval D’Or’s half-brother the triple Group 1-winning sprinter, The Bostonian (Jimmy Choux). Her half-sister, Vitesse (Makfi), is the dam of Kovalica (Ocean Park), a Group 3 winner in Brisbane last season.
Keepa Cheval’s half-sister is the mighty Champion Sprinter-Miler and ten-times Group 1 winner, King Mufhasa (Pentire) as well as Belle Joie (Mellifont), dam of Sacred Satono (Satono Aladdin), a Group 3 winner this season.
There was always going to be residual value in purchasing Cheval D’Or, given her close relatives. Now that she is a Group 3 winner herself, with plenty of potential, The Oaks Stud have a very valuable future broodmare.
Her immediate future depends on how she pulls up after the win. “We’ve been over in Brisbane a few times when conditions haven’t been ideal so it’s nice to know you can cop a track like that,” said Pike. “She has form on good ground, so is very versatile and as long as she pulls up well there is no reason why we won’t go. She has been a little unlucky not to win a race before today and as a slow-maturing filly she is now starting to put things together. It is six weeks until the Queensland Oaks, so we might consider running her in The Roses [Gr.2, 2000m] first.”
Quietly good
The third stakes race on Saturday’s Pukekohe card resulted in a very solid win by White Noise (El Roca) who is putting together a nice record. The Easter Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m) was his career sixth win and third stakes win in 20 starts.
The four-year-old was given a gun ride by Michael McNab and proved too good and too strong. He was third early (two out) and held his position from the 1200 metres to the 800-metre mark, where he moved up to second. Rounding into the straight he levelled up, took the lead at the top of the straight and dared his opponents to run him down. They couldn’t and he had the race well under control from the 200 metres and was increasing his lead at the line.
McNab was pretty confident at the halfway mark, “Once I started tracking up coming to the bend it was pretty easy from there.”
Twice a stakes winner last season at three, including the Wellington Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m), White Noise was tried in Sydney at the back end of his three-year-old preparation but is probably not really a stayer, showing nothing in the Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m).
Back home at four last spring, he won and ran second then was given another two-race campaign, this time in Victoria. After a fair third in the Sale Cup (Listed, 1600m) he showed little at Listed level at Flemington and returned home.
Saturday’s return to form was his fourth start back and judging from the ease of this latest success, let’s hope he is back on track. The talent is there.
Winning trainer Andrew Forsman summed up White Noise’s return to form: “We asked a fair bit of him in the spring and we brought him home and gave him another prep, which probably wasn’t the right thing to do. We backed off him and he has come back in good order.”
White Noise is the second of two winners from his dam, White Nymph (Sir Percy), whose half-sister, Queen Takes King (Charm Spirit), recorded stakes-placings in provincial Western Australia. His third dam, the Italian Group 3 winner, Spring (Sadler’s Wells), is a half-sister to the successful sire and dual Group 1 winner Pentire (Be My Guest).
Never say die
On a day of testing conditions, toughness was on display all the way up the Riccarton straight for the running of the Warstep Stakes (Listed, 2000m).
Two fillies, She’s A Con (Contributer) and Luella Christina (Snitzel), were in a race of their own from the 300 metres and provided a thrilling finish. Luella Christina led at the 300. She’s A Con led narrowly from the 200 metres to the just short of the 100 metres, but was headed for a stride or two by Luella Christina. Undaunted, the former fought back hard to land her maiden stakes win and second career win in seven starts, the first two well clear of the rest.
Co-trainer Kelvin Tyler had a measure of confidence heading into the race. “I knew she would be tough enough. I also knew the 2000 metres wouldn’t bother her, as she was wide and did it tough over the mile last time and got the win.”
She’s A Con marks the seventh individual stakes winner for Contributer (High Chaparral), but more importantly his fifth this season alone. He is, indeed, a contributor and She’s A Con’s earnings pushed the stallion’s current season New Zealand earnings beyond $1 million and up to 14th on the sire list.
His overall winners/runners ratio stands at 71 per cent (71 from 109 runners). His stakes winners/runners ratio is 6.4 per cent and stakes performers/runners ratio is 13.7 per cent. His New Zealand stats are better still and such growing results are making Contributer a desirable stallion.
She’s A Con’s has three Group 1 winners close up in her family. Her dam is a half-sister to the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner, Sleek Chassis (Flying Spur), while her granddam is a half-sister to Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) winner, Marble Halls (Nassipour) and to Ocean Dream (Redoute’s Choice), the dam of 2018 Caulfield’s The Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner, Amphitrite (Sebring).
Her third dam ranks as a three-quarter sister to the prolific winner, Powley (Noble Bijou), whose 17 wins and six seconds in 28 starts included the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas.