Whangaehu lands the Trentham Stakes
Rich Hill’s champion sire Proisir (Choisir) also registered a stakes win when the Bill Thurlow-trained Whangaehu notched up a second stakes-level win in the Trentham Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m).
Ridden by Craig Grylls, the six-year-old gelding trailed the field before peeling wide and flashing home to score on the line, defeating Opawa Jack (War Decree) by 0.2 lengths, with Drop Of Something (Telperion) another 0.1 lengths away.
“The instructions were to try to be in the first three, but the horse was just so lethargic coming out of the gates,” Grylls said. “I gave him a slap on the shoulder and he didn’t respond. So that was just the hand that I was dealt.
“They didn’t go overly fast in front, so it was a really good effort to win from where he did. Once he changed legs in the home straight, his acceleration was phenomenal.
“The leaders put the hammer down and really got away on us coming up to the turn, so I wasn’t sure if we’d get them, but it was a top performance. He’s a horse that’s come through the grades and really shown his worth.”
The gelding began his career with a maiden win for trainer Bill Thurlow in early 2022, then relocated to Sydney and won twice from 18 starts for Chris Waller. Whangaehu returned to Thurlow’s in-form stable in the spring of 2023 and has added another five wins to his record since then.
“I was a bit worried at the start today,” Thurlow’s stable representative Sam O’Malley admitted. “We wanted to try to ride him the first three or four, but he was slow away and reluctant to hit out early. But he got the job done in the end.
“The leaders weren’t going that fast, but he got rolling into the race at the right time and I was confident once he loomed up alongside them.
“We’ll probably look to go to the Herbie Dyke Stakes next and have a crack at that.”
Priosir is set to have 53 lots go through the ring during Book 1 at the Karaka National Yearling Sale later this month.