New Zealand Latest
54 for American Pharoah
Khafre (5 g ex La Dama by High Chaparral) became the 54th individual stakes winner for Coolmore’s former shuttler American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) when he scored a half-length victory in Friday’s Matamata Cup (Listed, 1600m). The Ralph Manning-trained five-year-old, who had won one and placed in three of his four previous starts at Matamata, defeated Mary Shan (Almanzor), with a further two and a half lengths back to Mali Ston (El Roca) in third. Khafre was offered by Phoenix Park during the Book 1 session of Karaka 2021, where he was purchased by his trainer for $155,000. He is out of the High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) mare La Dama, whose three-quarter sister La Diosa (So You Think) won the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and Sydney’s Surround Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m). American Pharoah shuttled to Coolmore Australia between 2017-2021.
Fawcett lands first victory in Matamata Cup
Jasmine Fawcett relished her win aboard Khafre in Friday’s Matamata Cup, with the victory a first hometown cup win for the local jockey. Fawcett’s cousin Kylie trained and part-owned the 2019 winner Polly Grey (Azamour). “It’s always been a goal of mine to win the Matamata Cup, so it means a lot to tick that one off the list,” said Fawcett, who has now won 11 Group and Listed races among a career total of 321 wins. “I placed in it last year, so it was great to get the win today. I was pretty confident that he [Khafre] was going to be a good chance today with 53 kilos. He won his maiden at Matamata as a three-year-old and he obviously knows his way around the course, and whenever you’re riding one of Ralph Manning’s you can be confident they’re trained to the minute. He got to the lead easily and we were able to get some quite soft sectionals from the 800 to the 600-metre mark. Then he kicked really hard off the corner and he was always going to be hard to run down.”
First stakes challenge beckons for Leica Lucy
New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m)-bound filly Leica Lucy (Derryn) will have her first taste of Group racing at Trentham on Saturday, taking her place in the Eulogy Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m). Robbie Patterson, who trains Leica Lucy at New Plymouth, identified from her debut that the middle-distance of the New Zealand Oaks would be the perfect fit for the daughter of Derryn (Hinchinbrook). Leica Lucy has shown she has plenty of short-range talent to work with before the $1 million feature in March, going down by just 0.2 lengths to Wingman (Swiss Ace) over 1400 metres at Trentham a fortnight ago, a run which followed her debut win at New Plymouth. “She’s come through that run very well, she never lifts her head out of the feed bin and was the same after she raced,” Patterson said. “She’s going to love a mile, any easing of the track will be in her favour and the further she goes, the better I think. She’s a lovely horse, she jumps, puts herself into the race and tries hard. We’re up a grade again on Saturday, but I think she’ll be up to the task. We’ll just keep stepping her up in trip, I don’t want to overtax her going into the Oaks because she’s a very straightforward and clean-winded horse.”
Kirkland hoping consistency pays off with Buoyant
Four has been Buoyant’s (Dalghar) favourite number since his return to New Zealand, with the Group 3 winner having recorded that placing in all three of his starts this preparation, and owner-trainer Sabin Kirkland is hoping to break that sequence when he heads to Gore on Sunday. The six-year-old son of Dalghar (Anabaa) has been hampered by foot issues, but Kirkland believes he has got on top of those and is confident of a bold showing in the Tapanui Cup (1335m). “I am very happy with him,” Kirkland said. “We had a few issues earlier on, a few foot issues, but I think we have gotten over them. He is right on target. They have been good runs, but let’s hope we can change that [string of fourth-placed runs] this weekend. He is 100 per cent right this time. He will only have 52 kilos on his back, he has drawn nicely, he has won on the track and over the distance, he ticks all of the boxes.”
Savaglee impresses in Matamata trial
A total of eight Group 1 performers were put through their paces in a star-studded 1100-metre trial before the eight-race twilight card at Matamata on Friday, and it was standout three-year-old Savaglee (Savabeel) who came out on top. Making his first public appearance since romping to victory by almost three lengths in the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Riccarton on November 9, the colt quickened stylishly through an opening in between Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard) and Luberon (Embellish) at the top of the straight, striding to the lead under a hands-and-heels ride from Sam Spratt. Skew Wiff (Savabeel) stormed home in the final 75 metres and got to within a nose, but the Pam Gerard-trained Savaglee held on for a narrow win. “I was thrilled,” Rick Williams, general manager of Savaglee’s owners The Oaks Stud, said. “I probably didn’t expect him to win against such a high-quality group of older horses, but he did, and Sam got off him and said she didn’t really extend him at all. So we got the result we wanted, and then some. It’s a great way to start off a campaign that’s probably going to tell us where his ceiling is. He’s continuing to strengthen and please us with everything that he’s doing. It’s exciting. Our next stop is going to be the Levin Classic at Trentham on January 11, and we’ll take it from there.”
Lerner off to winning start
Marc Lerner had to wait longer than expected to get his New Zealand riding career underway, but the jockey made up for lost time with a winning debut at Otaki on Thursday. Based in Singapore until racing ended there in October, the 33-year-old has arrived in New Zealand for an open-ended stay. He had his first raceday rides on Thursday and hit the ground running, landing an upset win with $13 outsider Blue Rata Boldness (The Bold One) in a 1600-metre handicap as the pair defeated Knickerless (Charm Spirit) by 0.4 lengths. “It was super to start off with a win on my first day,” said Lerner. “I can’t be any happier with that. It’s been quite frustrating, because I’ve had quite a lot of delays getting a visa. I hadn’t ridden in a race since Singapore racing ended in October. I was hoping to get started here much sooner, but it’s good to be here now and to get that early win.”
Herd awarded 2025 Sunline Trust Scholarship
Manawatu’s Josh Herd has been announced as the 2025 recipient of the Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship. The scholarship, originally established by the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (NZTBA) and now administered by the Sunline Educational Trust, offers the successful candidate an all-expenses paid, bonded trip of 30 weeks, to experience the operational infrastructure, systems and management of the world’s best in the thoroughbred industry. Herd, who is the son of leading Central Districts trainer Lisa Latta and former top jockey Bruce Herd, applied for the scholarship after seeing the success of previous recipients, particularly fellow Palmerston North product Sam Bergerson, New Zealand’s leading trainer, alongside Te Akau training partner Mark Walker. “I have seen how successful some of the past recipients have been in the industry and thought it would be a pretty good pathway forward,” Herd said. “I have worked with Te Akau Racing’s Sam Bergerson and know what the scholarship has done for him, and so many others. Just to be able to go overseas and learn different ways of doing things and explore the opportunities the scholarship can offer is pretty exciting.”