Time rewarded
According to the calendar Chase (Zed) will not reach nine years until October 3 but according to the breeding calendar he is now nine, and after 58 starts has broken through at black-type level to land the Winter Cup (Gr 3, 1600m).
Stock of Zed (Zabeel) are noted for their toughness and Chase is no exception and the heavy track made for a tough trek as the winning time was 1:42.41. Chases’s maiden win, at start eight, was also on a heavy track and was notable in that he skipped maiden class and took out a Trentham Benchmark 65 (1600m) race. Of his next six wins, four were achieved in the heavy and the other two on soft tracks. He arrived at Riccarton as a last-start winner over 1600 metres at Hawera, therefore fit for Saturday’s test.
It’s worth pointing out that Chase is not merely a mudder. It’s just that his winning form has been primarily during the winter. However, he has been twice third at Group 1 level, in the Captain Cook Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and the Otaki WFA Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), both summer events although both were run on a soft track.
Saturday, Tina Comignaghi settled the old boy just forward of midfield but one off the fence and when the field turned for home, instead of heading wider, Comignaghi held her line. From the 300 metres they had plenty of room to lodge their challenge. Balanced, they made steady progress, with just two to pass at the 200 metres before they took over inside the 100 metres. At the line they were too strong by a length over Who Knows (Redwood).
The win saw his earnings exceed $400,000 which is a most worthwhile return on the $9000 outlayed by part-owner Laura Knight at the 2018 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 3). It wasn’t Chase’s first visit to Karaka. In May of 2017 John Corcoran secured him for $6000 then put him through Grangewilliam Stud’s draft the following February.
He is the fourth winner from six-time winner Dantessa (Danasinga). The first two were successful in Hong Kong and the third, Chases’s sister Zentessa (Zed), won four races and was twice Listed placed before producing Lil Zena (U S Navy Flag), also Listed placed.
Chase’s third dam, Ark Angel (Hermes) is a half-sister to the dam of the good Perth-based mare My Serene (Sir Tristram) who scored 11 wins including the Strickland Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m). The next dam, Serene Blue (Blueskin II) ranks as a half-sister to three big winners including Serena (Macquario) whose 11 wins included back-to-back wins in the Telegraph Handicap (Gr 2, 6f).
High bar
Whoever named Without Parallel (Time Test) set the bar quite high but, so far, she is living up to it. Identified by Kiwi Chronicles two weeks ago, the daughter of Time Test (Dubawi) simply bolted in when taking out Saturday’s TAB Highway Handicap (1200m).
Trained by Matthew Dunn, she started her career this past February at her home track of Murwillumbah, leading all the way and fighting off a good challenge at the 200 metres. At Lismore, starting hot favourite, she again led but in the straight ran them ragged.
A short let-up saw her trip north to Eagle Farm in mid-July for her biggest test thus far and her first attempt at 1200 metres in the QTIS 3YO Fillies Handicap. The pattern remained the same as she led to the top of the straight, tried to break away at the 200 metres and then held on really well.
An ambitious and much longer trip to Rosehill on Saturday presented another challenge, a heavy track, but it made little difference except that she did not get her own way in front this time. Instead, she had to settle for the trail but once into the straight she took over. In a most impressive performance she was clear by three at the 200 metres but was relentless to the line to be nearly five in front at the judge to remain unbeaten in four starts.
Her total earnings of $142,550 is proving to be an excellent return on the $7000 that was outlayed at the Inglis online sale in November of 2023.
Her dam, Special Asset (The Factor), spent some time at William Fell’s Goodwood Stud in Longburn. William’s father is Rex Fell, son of Arthur Fell who established Fairdale Stud. Special Asset never raced but produced one foal in New Zealand, Milton Road (Darci Brahma), who has saluted four times. He too is trained by Matthew Dunn at Murwillumbah.
Without Parallel is Special Asset’s second foal, born in Australia after Special Asset was exported in June, 2021. In 2022 she foaled a filly by Graff (Star Witness) which has yet to race and last spring another filly by State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner).
Special Asset’s half-sister Tuscan Sling (Danehill Dancer) was a dual Group 3 winner in Melbourne. Two further half-sisters, Listed-placed Arrival (Choisir) and the unraced Single View (Danehill Dancer), have respectively produced dual Listed winner Assertive Approach (Akeed Mofeed) and Kiwia (Reset), the latter a Coongy Handicap (Gr 3, 2000m) winner and twice successful in the Ballarat Cup (Listed, 2000m).
Also mentioned in Kiwi Chronicles was that it is all too late for Time Test whose early stud record suggested much promise. He averaged 118 mares per season in his first five but in 2023 that number fell dramatically to 47. There’s nothing much to add except that it was probably inevitable that something good would emerge.
Without Parallel is good and it only remains to find out if she takes her form to stakes class. On what we have seen, that should be well within her scope. Her trainer agrees: “She’s a speed horse that’s nimble and athletic. If today was a dry track I’d have expected her to do that to them. I hold her in good regard,” commented Dunn.
Seasonal wrap up
With the 2024-25 season in the rear view mirror, what were the highlights?
As far as race days are concerned, the Ellerslie meeting on March 8 stands out. Who cares if the idea started elsewhere. All concerned should be proud of the perfect storm which incorporated the inaugural NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m).
The storm coincided with Entain’s involvement and serious injection of stake monies. Putting up more than $8 million on the day brought out a crowd that experienced the pinnacle of racing. Rearranging the calendar and scheduling the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m), the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), the Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and the New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), all on the same day, was a masterstroke.
Two races stood out. Damask Rose (Savabeel) was the big winner but the real hero was jockey Blake Shinn who gambled on the field drifting wide once they straightened. Despite being last into line his gamble paid off and there was a huge gap along the inner. The filly bounded through to lead at the 100 metres then held on well to land the $1.2 million first prize.
On the breeding front the day was a huge triumph for Tony Rider of Milan Park as he not only bred Damask Rose, he also bred Provence (Savabeel), the sister to Damask Rose. Three races prior to the NZB Kiwi, Provence landed the Breeders’ Stakes, her second Group 1 of the season, on top of the Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m). Rider has pumped plenty into our industry so his success is appropriately deserved.
As good as Damask Rose’s finish was, a feature of the day was the exciting climax in the New Zealand Stakes. A slowish pace had La Crique (Vadamos) take over from expected leader El Vencedor (Shocking) and these two were first into line. Clear of the rest, at the 300 metres they were level. At the 200 metres El Vencedor led by a nose, but at the 100 metres they were level again. The last 100 metres had the big crowd on their feet and it was only a bob of the head in the last stride that resulted in El Vencedor’s win, his third successive Group 1 on top of the Otaki WFA Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
The Sistema Stakes lost some of its gloss when La Dorada (Super Seth) had to be withdrawn due to a temperature spike. The clash between her and stablemate Return To Conquer (Snitzel) should have been the season’s Two-Year-Old Championship. For his part, Return To Conquer maintained his unbeaten record which is itself notable. He nabbed the Counties Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1100m) on debut, added the Colin Jillings Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) then the Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) prior to the Sistema.
La Dorada recovered from her brief interruption and returned at Trentham at the end of March for the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). She could not have been more impressive as she destroyed her opponents, running away over the last 150 metres to score by more than three lengths in a slick 1:22.64. Landlock (Merchant Navy), beaten a head by Return To Conquer at Ellerslie, was four and half lengths away.
With new legislation restricting local punters from betting outside of the country, the bit is now firmly between Entain’s teeth. Their boost in stakes has been enormous for local trainers and owners but there needs to be a next level. It now remains to be seen whether it will spill over into the breeding industry which has been shrinking at an alarming rate.
We need punters to become owners and owners to become broodmare owners so as to support the stallion industry and ultimately increase the crops for sale at Karaka. It will take time but the bricks are in place and a raceday like that of March 8 is exactly the fuel needed to jumpstart the industry we all love.