Saturday Spotlight: Achieve
Trainer: Roger James and Robert Wellwood
Race: New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m)
Today’s New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) is the feature race across the Tasman, with 14 fillies hoping to etch their names among the best females New Zealand has had to offer.
Although the race offers up a $400,000 prize-money carrot, the reward for winning the fillies’ Classic transpires into much more value as a stud prospect.
Recent winners of the New Zealand Oaks include Jennifer Eccles (Rip Van Winkle), the 2020 winner who sold for $800,000 to Kia Ora Stud on Gavelhouse Plus in July last year, while 2019 winner Sentimental Miss (Reliable Man) brought $470,000 to the bid of Yulong, and 2018 scorer Savvy Coup (Savabeel) brought a cool $1 million when bought by Coolmore at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale a year later.
Pierro (Lonhro) filly Achieve will line up for trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood, and will be aiming to be the first filly sired by an Australian-based stallion to win the New Zealand Oaks since Miss Mossman (Mossman) in 2014.
“If she can get every favour and every bit of luck in the run, she’s certainly going to be there or thereabouts,” Wellwood said.
“She’s very honest and I think the mile and a half is going to suit. We go in happy with her, but she is going to need everything to go her way to be winning it.
Achieve, who was last seen running third in the Sunline Vase Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) on March 5, finished third behind today’s hot favourite, three-time Group 2 winner Self Obsession (Shocking), in the David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 2000m) before that, and is a $13 chance to salute today.
“Self Obsession looks the obvious one to try and beat, her form is very good and realistically she looks like she’s going to suit a mile and a half on her ear too,” Wellwood said.
“Apart from her there’s probably six or eight chances that look like nice horses that are probably of a similar sort of level to Achieve.”
The second foal out of O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Thee Achiever, Achieve was a $375,000 purchase for her trainers at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale from the Milan Park draft.
The mare’s yearling colt by Savabeel (Zabeel), again offered by Milan Park, was snapped up by David Ellis at the delayed NZB National Yearling Sale earlier this month for $575,000.