Maintaining the spotlight
Between Randwick, Caulfield and Trentham, New Zealand-bred highlights were many this past Saturday even if Group 1 success eluded the NZ Stud Book.
Nevertheless, the stakes-winning and metro-winning performances achieved by the Kiwis helped to maintain a solid spotlight on our local product just as the Inglis Easter Yearling sale kicked into gear.
Caulfield sweep
At Caulfield there were three stakes races, the Galilee Series Final (Listed, 2400m), the Victoria Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) and the Easter Cup (Gr 3, 2000m), resulting in a clean sweep for the eastern side of the Tasman. Over the ten race card, five were bred in New Zealand.
Waikato Stud’s Savabeel (Zabeel) and Tivaci (High Chaparral) featured when Gold Wolf (Tivaci) landed the Listed race while Captain Envious (Savabeel) put up an enormous effort to capture the Easter Cup in the performance of the day.
He sat in the second half of the field (rails) past the 1400 metres with no improvement at the 800m. He was away from the fence when the field compacted near the 400 metres, looked like he had a gap at the top of the straight but the gap tightened at the 200 metres. Clearly he was wedged at the 150 metres, the gap widened at the 100 metres but his momentum had been stifled. He was neck away third at the 50 metres then, in a torrid three-way go, thrust his head in front short of the line.
Captain Envious wants to be a racehorse and the five-year-old is now the winner of six of his 19 starts. Saturday’s stakes was his second as he was successful last December in the Ballarat Cup (Listed, 1600m) by a widening margin. The Easter Cup victory took his bank balance to $647,000.
Captain Envious was not sold at auction and is the fourth winner from five to race from My Central (Central Park), a Group 3 winner in UAE and a Listed winner in Italy. She ranks as a half-sister to two stakes winners including the 2008 champion Italian two-year-old Lui Rei (Reinaldo) who also recorded a Group 2 win in France.
Savabeel’s barnmate Tivaci sired his fourth stakes winner when Gold Wolf outstayed his opponents over the 2400 metres of the Galilee Series Final. He had two behind him at the 1600 metres and was no better placed at the 800 metres. Set alight at the 600 metres he drove between runners to sit fifth at the top of the straight, had three to beat at the 200 metres and was virtually level with Antrim Coast (Roc de Cambes) at the 100 metres. At the 50 metres these two were head and head but Gold Wolf edged into the lead in the last stride.
The three-year-old was having his eighth start and second win. A good win was close. Two starts back he lost narrowly to Bold Soul (Embellish) in the Tasmanian Derby (Listed, 2200m). Sold at the 2022 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale for $80,000 he also reappeared at Karaka for the Ready To Run sale but was passed in.
His dam, Group 3-placed Gold Spice (Rock ‘N’ Pop), who has produced two winners, is a daughter of Trentham winner Zoe Spice (O’Reilly) and granddaughter of Lowland Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) winner Sahrhys (Oak Ridge).
Versatile sire Rich Hill Stud stallion Shocking (Street Cry) also got into the act when his Here To Shock flashed down the outer to score his eighth career win and second stakes win in the Victoria Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m).
He was trapped wide from the jump and forced to ease after 200 metres before finding a lane, two out. He lost ground at the 800 metres and was seventh rounding into the straight. Pulled widest at the top of the straight he was three lengths back at the 200 metres, accelerated quickly to lead at the 100 metres then held on comfortably.
His initial stakes win was a year ago in the Bendigo Golden Mile (Listed, 1600m) and has been a worthwhile investment as he was sold for $70,000 out of the Cambridge Stud draft at the 2019 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale. Saturday’s win brought his earnings to $684,180 and is one of four winners from his dam, Frescoes (Lonhro), another being the Listed winner Turn The Ace (Turn Me Loose).
Frescoes is a three-quarter sister to Group 1 sprinter Mental (Lonhro), his grandam is a three-quarter sister to dual Group 1 winner Freemason (Grand Lodge) while his great grandam, Shaybisc (Biscay), was the champion Australian two-year-old and three-year-old filly of her crop.
Just like old times
The Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) has not always been a Group 1 race. Between its first running in 1908 until 1926 it was run over six furlongs before increasing to seven furlongs in 1927 but was deemed a Listed race.
When Group, Graded and Pattern racing was applied to New Zealand stakes races during the late 1970s, Miss Pat O’Brien of Wrightson Bloodstock was tasked with retroactively categorising feature racing in the Dominion.
O’Brien’s knowledge and experience was vast and there was no superior qualified person in the industry to undertake the research needed to arrive at a list of stakes races, divided into Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Listed races.
Consequently, O’Brien adjudged the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes as a Listed race until 1949 and from 1950 to 1967 it was promoted to Group 3 status. In 1968 and 1969 it was further promoted to Group 2 race and since 1970 has been categorised as Group 1.
George Currie and his Koatanui Stud, near Wanganui, completely dominated the race between 1924 and 1944. Currie bred eight individual winners of the race and all represented his Hall of Fame mare Eulogy (Cicero).
Although that domination was to subside Eulogy can claim a further six winners of the race, namely Romanos (Mid-day Sun) in 1955, Gold Chat (Chatsworth II) in 1963, Mannix (Gigantic) in 1967, Precocious Lad (Otehi Bay) in 1986 and Nightlign (Align) in 2007.
Racking up number 14 is Saturday’s winner, Move To Strike (I Am Invincible) who descends from Eulogy via Pennon (Coriander), Eulogy’s first daughter, conceived in England but foaled in New Zealand in March 1915.
Although bred to Northern time, Pennon was tried on the racetrack and won three races, one in open company at Marton, and recorded the first ever black-type for Eulogy when finishing third in the Feilding Stakes (Listed).
Pennon’s branch remains a prolific Group 1 producer. The mighty Bonecrusher (Pag Asa), Vo Rogue (Ivor Prince), Show Gate (Gate Keeper), Il Tempo (Time and Again) and the flying Zephyr Bay (Biscay), all descend from the Pennon branch, as do Hong Kong stars Ambitious Dragon (Pins) and Sacred Kingdom (Encosta de Lago).
Another star was Nizam’s Ring (Nizami), winner of the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) and VATC One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1m). Move To Strike traces directly to Nizam’s Ring. His dam is No Evidence Needed (Shamardal), a six-time winner including at Group 2 level in the Let’s Elope Stakes at Flemington. No Evidence Needed also placed twice at Group 1 level.
Bred on the same I Am Invincible-Shamardal cross as superstar sprinter Imperatriz, Move To Strike is clearly the best of six winners from No Evidence Needed, in turn the best performer from her dam, Group 2-placed Generosa (Generous).
Te Akau’s David Ellis found Move To Strike at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling sale, bidding $525,000 for the colt. He won easily on debut, making up four lengths in the straight then a fighting, close second in the Eclipse Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) on New Year’s day, with arch rival Velocious (Written Tycoon) third.
After an ordinary fifth in the Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) he was found to have a minor heart arrhythmia but a short let-up appears to have brought the colt back to his best. A clear last at the 600 metres, he was widest into the straight and kept up a strong run the length of the straight to score going away.
Favourite Velocious was denied a run at a crucial stage of the finish and never got out in time to challenge yet appeared full of running. We will have to wait until next season for that rivalry to be renewed.
Left with lament
The New Zealand industry lost Tavistock (Montjeu) in 2019. The stallion was half-way through his covering season. The resulting crop numbered just 33 foals and two of that crop, including Good Banter, broke through for their respective maiden stakes success on Saturday, bringing his total number of stakes winners to 49.
The other was Outovstock, winner of the Manawatu Classic (Gr 3, 2100m) at Trentham. Meanwhile, Apostrophe, from his 2017 crop, also scored her maiden stakes win in the Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m).
To those you can add Tavistock’s likely next stakes winner Ceolwulf, Group 1 seconds in his last two starts, both to the country’s top three-year-old, Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Riff Rocket (American Pharoah). Had Tavistock lived, we would be hailing the feat of an outstanding treble. Instead, we are left with lament.
At Randwick, Good Banter, sold at the Inglis Premier Sale in 2022 for $280,000, claimed her second win in seven starts in taking out the Adrian Knox Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m). Her straight-long finish from well back was the feature of the race.
Bred by Blandford Lodge’s Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax, the filly is a three-quarter sister to Listed winner Le Gai Soleil (Tavistock) and from a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Danzdanzdance (Mastercraftsman). Blandford Lodge Stud and the Bax family bred Good Banter from a line they have controlled for several generations, beginning with Polly Soleil (Roi Soleil), a mare imported to New Zealand in 1985 by Ron Denby of Denby Lodge, Cambridge.
By far the most famous member of the family is triple Group 1 winner Lucia Valentina (Savabeel), whose finishing run in the 2016 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) had to be seen to be believed. She had a wall of horses in front of her inside the 400 metres yet somehow Damien Oliver found a path at the 300 metres and she flew hard to gather in the leaders at the 200 metres then booted clear for an amazing win.
Good Banter is from a Savabeel (Zabeel) granddaughter of Star of Gretchen (Bahhare). The latter and Lucia Valentina’s dam, Staryn Glenn (Montjeu) are half-sisters. Adding intrigue to Good Banter’s bloodlines is the fact that her sire Tavistock is a son of Staryn Glen’s sire Montjeu.