Setting the bar
First run in 1991, the Northland Breeders’ Stakes has delivered a number of top-class performers. The most notable, of course, is 1998 winner Sunline (Desert Sun), a champion in every sense of the word.
In Sunline’s case, her win was at two as the race then was for two-year-olds, staged late in the season. It was her third start and she was unbeaten at that point in her outstanding career. Also unbeaten after three starts was 2012 winner Sacred Falls (O’Reilly) and the following year Westbury Stud’s El Roca (Fastnet Rock) made his Northland Breeders’ Stakes (Listed) his second win in two starts.
From 2017 the race was promoted to Group 3 status and in 2019 Catalyst (Darci Brahma) was three from four after his victory in the race. The great Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), winner in 2021, was unbeaten in her three starts as was last year’s winner Crocetti (Zacinto).
That’s quite a list to live up to and it remains to be seen if the 2024 winner So Naive (U S Navy Flag) can maintain that level of quality. Saturday’s win was his third in five starts and was achieved fresh up after he finished midfield in the 2024 Karaka Million 2YO (RL) last January. Leading into that race he was a winner on debut last October at Pukekohe and was successful at Ellerslie on the new StrathAyr track when it was unveiled in mid–January.
Judging from his strong effort it will not surprise if So Naive continues on with his form especially given that he was trapped three wide to the top of the straight. When Craig Grylls asked him to challenge he responded as required, although he took a while to reach the lead at the 100 metres.
Grylls commented that the track, a Soft 7, was not ideal. “I was just keeping out of the kick back. I was quite happy out there as he is a beautiful big horse and I was pretty confident a wee way out we would pick them up as he let down well,” the winning rider said. “He wasn’t real comfortable in it but he showed last season he has a good turn of foot and I think they are going to be in for a lot of fun with him.”
Co-trainer Grant Cooksley added: “He has grown and got a bit stronger, so the further he goes the better he will get.” The time for the 1200 metres was a respectable 1:12.73.
For The Oaks Stud’s U S Navy Flag (War Front), a triple Group 1 winner whose oldest are now four-year-olds, So Naive is his fifth individual stakes winner and third in the southern hemisphere.
So Naive is the third winner from the Bernadini (A.P. Indy) mare Altai Rose who did not win yet ran fourth in the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa. Both So Naive and her dam have Karaka sales history. So Naive is a graduate from Book 2 of the 2023 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale at $37,500 and his dam, Altai Rose, fetched $120,000 at the 2012 Karaka Premier Sale, purchased by So Naive’s breeder Dr KC Tan.
Altai Rose’s half-brother is the Listed placed Natch (Thorn Park) and her dam Naturally (Mtoto) placed in France before her export to Australia. Naturally’s brother Coroner (Mtoto) won four times, including Longchamp’s Prix Hocquard (Gr 2, 2400m), and was also third behind Dalakhani (Darshaan) in the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2400m). Naturally’s dam Tamnia (Green Desert) was a Listed winner at two and Group 1 placed.
Almanzor news
Across the Tasman, Australian stakes racing kicked up a notch as the new season got underway however the New Zealanders didn’t make a mark. New Zealand breeders did provide two metropolitan winners – Rise At Dawn (Almanzor) at Caulfield and Vee Rod (Rip Van Winkle) at Morphettville.
Rise At Dawn made it back-to-back wins and took his record to six wins in 11 starts when scoring in a Benchmark 100 (1600m). Unlike his Flemington win two weeks earlier, Rise At Dawn lost the lead half way through the journey but co-led when they straightened. Punched out at the 150 metres he had enough in the tank to hold on against the small field. Next up for Rise At Dawn is likely the Heatherlie Handicap (Listed, 1700m), set for Caulfield in two weeks. Rise At Dawn’s background was covered extensively in the August 6 edition of Kiwi Chronicles.
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) was among the headlines after day one of the 2024 Arqana Yearling Sale. His three-quarter brother realised €1.4 million. Offered by Haras d’Etreham, which is Almanzor’s French home during the northern serving season, the colt is by Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) from a Street Cry (Machiavellian) half-sister to Almanzor’s dam Darkova (Maria’s Mon). The Wootton Bassett blood works well with this family as the yearling is a brother to Guildsman, a Grade 3 winner in the US.
The other NZ-bred winner was in Adelaide where six-year-old Vee Rod added win four to his career, his first in town. He began his racing in New Zealand, placing six times but did not get off the mark until April last year, his third start in Australia.
Bookends
Highview Stud’s Wrote (High Chaparral) keeps churning out winners and provided a bookend result on Saturday’s New Plymouth race card. Faustian Bargain (Wrote) landed her second win in her last three starts when taking out the opener.
In a heady ride from apprentice Liam Kauri, Faustian Bargain never covered any extra ground throughout and cut the corner into the home straight. Tied for the lead at the 150 metres she came away to win convincingly.
The last on the card, a Benchmark 65 (1600m) was a route for The Letter (Wrote). Just as Faustian Bargain hugged the rail, so did The Letter and she cleared out soon after straightening to be more than 12 lengths in front at the post, her third race day victory.
Purchased by Michael Rogers for $10,000 from the NZB 2020 Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 3), The Letter is a granddaughter of Habitual (Pentire), a sister to Railway Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Recurring (Pentire) and a half-sister to Telegraph Handicap (G 1, 1200m) winner Lady Madonna (Kingdom Bay).
Key family
Arkansaw Kid (Harry Angel) can now concentrate on being a racehorse. The four-year-old returned to racing after his gelding operation and was a convincing winner of the Regal Roller Stakes (Listed, 1200m). A handy third, three wide at the top of the straight, he levelled up, took over from the 150 metres, and was too classy at the line to record his third win (all stakes) at start 14.
As a two-year-old he landed the Inglis Banner (RL, 1000m) at Moonee Valley on debut and was a hard driving third in the 2023 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m). At three, in the spring, he was successful in Caulfield’s Gothic Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and at his next start ran fourth in the Coolmore Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m). He then ran a number of top quality Listed and Group placings without adding to the win column.
Arkansaw Kid is the second stakes winner to represent a direct line tracing to the great racemare Key (Fair’s Fair), bred and raced by Okawa Stud during the 1950s and 1960s. Recently, in Perth, descendant Boots Like Bruce (Alfred Nobel) recorded back-to-back stakes in the HG Bolton Sprint (Listed, 1200m) and Newmarket Handicap (Listed, 1200m).
Arkansaw Kid’s New Zealand-bred granddam Shindig (Straight Strike) was a Group 1 winner of the Coolmore Classic (1500m). His fourth dam Chubb (Faux Tirage) and Boots Like Bruce’s fourth dam Fix (Shifnal), are half-sisters and daughters of Key whose history is quite interesting.
Okawa’s TH Lowry bought Key’s dam Firstloch (Balloch) at the 1957 Alton Lodge Dispersal Sale. Firstloch had produced one foal then missed. She also missed to Fair’s Fair (Fair Trial) after being sold but Lowry sent her back to Fair’s Fair, the result being Key in 1958. Lowry’s interest in the mare was by design as he had bred Firstloch’s dam, April Fool (Chief Ruler), from a mare that he imported from England in the early 1920s. Her name was Miss Cute (Charles O’Malley).
Key turned out to be a wonderful mare, winning 16 times, including two Group 2s and seven Group 3s. Her form was not confined to New Zealand as she bagged the Villiers Stakes (Gr 3, 1m) in Sydney where she also recorded Group 1 thirds in the George Main Stakes (1m) and the Rawson Stakes (1m).
April Fool produced two Group 1 winners, namely Beaupartir (Beau Pere) whose premier win was the Easter Handicap (1m) at Ellerslie, as well as Wellington Cup (2m) winner Lambourn (Bulandshar). South Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Our Cache (In the Purple) and New Zealand One Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Our Cure (Sir Tristram) are Classic winners tracing directly to April Fool, whose line has produced 55 stakes winners.
Even better-known from this family is champion Rising Fast (Alonzo) whose granddam is a half-sister to April Fool. Rising Fast is often compared with Carbine (Musket), Phar Lap (Night Raid), Kindergarten (Kincardine) and Tulloch (Khorassan) as one of the greatest thoroughbreds to emerge from New Zealand. His record was astounding: 24 wins comprising seven Group 1s, five Group 2s, two Group 3s and four Listed races.