Slim Pickings
A bumper Saturday of high class racing, especially in Sydney, did not produce the usual New Zealand results. Apart from the Chris Waller, Bjorn Baker and James McDonald influences, the Kiwis did not have a lot to write home about. Even home wasn’t too flash as three of the four stakes races run in the Dominion were bred on the western side of the Tasman.
Riccarton and Trentham staged two stakes races each. Riccarton’s Welcome Stakes (Listed, 1000m) uncovered a notable performance as the winner, Bona Sforza (Written By), was making her race and stakes debut, a feat not often achieved so late in the season, let alone attempted.
All punters had to judge her chances on was a March 25 Foxton trial in which she raced away to an easy win but tripping to Christchurch (and driving right past Trentham, which staged a race for two-year-olds and drew a field field of six), her connections took the more ambitious route. They might have been put off by Trentham’s odd and added distance of 1300 metres. Needless to say, punters sent the filly out at odds of $26 but the style she exhibited when putting away the odds-on favourite Zelia (Fierce Impact) suggests Bona Sforza could be something special next season.
Sixth to the top of the straight, she found a lane along the inner at the 300 metres then moved out to make her challenge, caught the favourite inside the 100 metres then cleared out by two and half lengths in a slick 57.01 for the 1000 metres. She was cruising at the line.
Bona Sforza was pinhooked out of the 2023 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $65,000 by Highline Thoroughbreds in conjunction with Paul Moroney for the 2024 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 1). There, the filly was originally passed in at $110,000 then purchased outside the ring for $150,000 by her trainer Samantha Finnegan. The filly’s dam Thwayya (Snitzel) was a fair two-year-old, scoring twice including at Ellerslie. She also finished third in the Star Way Stakes (Listed, 1100m) and at three added a third win in ten career starts. Thwayya was exported to Australia as a four-year-old and at stud has since produced three winners from three to race.
Thwayya’s dam Miss Rainmaker (Hurricane Sky) won in Sydney and foaled seven winners from seven to race. Thwayya’s great grandam, Lusso (Prego), was a Melbourne Group 3 and Listed winner at two and ran second in Rosehill’s Magic Night Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).
Consolation
An Adelaide Cup (Gr 2, 3200m) campaign that went flat after two Melbourne starts meant a trip back home for Mehzebeen (Almanzor). Her Metropolitan Handicap (Listed, 2600m) – New Zealand Cup (Gr 3, 3200m) double last November, suggested that such a plan seemed worthy but the mare ran poorly in both February races.
Clearly fit, she ran a close third (beaten a short-head and head) in the New Zealand St Leger (2500m) at Trentham on March 22 as her lead up for Saturday’s Hawke’s Bay Cup (Listed, 2200m), starting at surprisingly lucrative odds of $12. While the Hastings and Awapuni tracks are undergoing refurbishment, the club raced at Trentham this year. Mehzebeen had previously run second in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) at Trentham, two years ago.
Lily Sutherland took the five-year-old straight to the front and led past the 1600 metres before settling third, then fourth to the top of the home straight. In tight quarters Sutherland chose a run along the inner, sprinted approaching the 100 metres and that was enough to hold out a couple of challenges and land her sixth win in 23 starts for earnings in excess of $550,000.
Mehzebeen was purchased for $50,000 from the 2021 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 1) out of the Pencarrow Stud draft. Her dam Salkantay (Zabeel) is a half-sister to two stakes winners, namely, Te Akau Coup (Thorn Park), winner of the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), and Don Garcia (Danehill), winner of the Wellesley Stakes (Listed, 1000m).
Don Garcia was purchased for $1,050,000 as a possible future sire and was the second top-priced yearling at the 2005 NZB Karaka Yearling sale. He won his first two starts including the Listed race and looked highly promising yet managed just two further wins. His half-sister, Navy Beach (Darci Brahma), is the dam of this year’s Wellington Cup (Gr 3, 3200m) winner Wolfgang (Puccini).
Remember him?
Saturday’s sole New Zealand–bred stakes winner in Australia began his career, somewhat auspiciously, in New Zealand a little more than a year ago. Sergeant Major (Proisir) was a fair second at Otaki on debut then lined up at Trentham ten days later. His winning effort that day had both officials and punters talking as the two-year-old reared at the start and hung throughout the 1200-metre journey. At the junction he was very wide and into the straight even wider. His finishing run was right down the outside fence yet he scored by three–quarters of a length.
Consequently, the stewards issued a warning regarding the gelding’s racing manners and his next race, also at Trentham, in a hot Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), was much better than it looked as he had no favours once they straightened and flashed into fifth after a rocky run.
By April he was in Victoria with new trainer Ciaron Maher and in September was a Listed third at Moonee Valley in the McKenzie Stakes (1200m). Tried over 1800 metres at Flemington he failed to see it out and was spelled until February. In three starts this preparation he has finished third in the Zeditave Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) then fourth in Rosehill’s Darby Munro Stakes (Listed, 1200m).
A deserved victory in Saturday’s South Pacific Classic (Listed, 1400m) saw him hold the fence in second to the top of the straight before taking over at the 300 metres. He put more than a length on his opponents and was able to hold on fairly comfortably for win number two at start nine to become the 23rd individual stakes winner for his sire Proisir (Choisir).
His dam, Forty Love (Ekraar) raced twice and at stud is developing a first–class record. Her first four productive matings were with Proisir and the first three are all stakes performers beginning with Vancooga (Proisir), a second placegetter in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m). Her second winner was Soldier Boy (Proisir) whose four wins included the Marton Cup (Listed, 2200m) and the Wanganui Guineas (Listed, 1340m). Sergeant Major is her third while her fourth foal, a two-year-old filly, has yet to be named. In 2024 she produced a filly by Vanbrugh (Encosta De Lago).
At the 2010 NZB Karaka Broodmare Sale, Forty Love’s dam Efrosini (Royal Academy) was purchased for $4,000 carrying Forty Love. Efrosini’s brother is the dual Group winner Honour The Name (Royal Academy) and Efrosini’s dam is the Randwick Listed juvenile stakes winner Lilting (Twig Moss). The next dam Primrose Lane (Century) ranks as a three-quarter sister to the 1979 Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Century Miss (Century).
Southern riches
You can count on one hand the number of South Island races that are worth $350,000 or more and the second running of the non-Listed Southern Alps Challenge Handicap (1600m) resulted in a big win by Third Decree (War Decree), who, from near last, careered down the centre of the track to overhaul the leaders at the 100 metres and score her ninth win in 24 starts.
The five-year-old can perform in any going and with Riccarton second placings in the Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) last November and the Great Easter Handicap (Listed, 1400m) a year ago, was likely due a big result. The winner’s share of the prize took her earnings beyond $350,000. Her previous biggest prize was $28,750 when taking out an open handicap at Ashburton last October.
She is the third winner and second stakes performer from Elusive Chik (Elusive City) who in 2017 foaled Chikira Lass (Proisir), a five-times winner who finished second in the Anzac Mile (Listed, 1600m). Third Decree is her last thoroughbred foal as the Stud Book notes that Elusive Chik was “given away to breed sports horses”. What are the chances that such an arrangement is perhaps overturned?
A four-race winner, Elusive Chik is a half-sister to Queen Boudicca (Perfectly Ready) who won at two and ran third in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m). Queen Boudicca produced Aloisia (Azamour) to score in the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Caulfield and was also twice Group 1 placed. Elusive Chik’s grandam Energy Efficient (Fluorescent Light), a mare imported from USA, was a half-sister to two Group 1 winners, namely Bet Twice (Sportin’ Life), winner of the Belmont Stakes (Gr 1, 12f), and Santa Anita Oaks (Gr 1, 8.5f) winner Golden Treat (Theatrical).
Rich connection
If the New Zealand-breds were largely outshone at Randwick, one result is worth a mention, that of Enriched (I Am Invincible) and his victory in the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (Gr 2, 1200m). The win, his second stakes and career third in nine starts took his bank to over $950,000 and a good return on the $450,000 invested as a yearling.
Enriched was sold at the 2023 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale but three of his siblings made more than that. In 2019 his half-sister by Medaglia D’Oro (El Prado) made $750,000. In 2020 Bionic (I Am Invincible) made $700,000 and Acquaro (I Am Invincible) made $600,000. In 2017 Nuclear Blitz (Sepoy) fetched $300,000 as a yearling and two years later $600,000 as a broodmare.
The reason for all the big spending is that Enriched’s dam, Miss Atom Bomb (Encosta De Lago) is a half-sister to the great Winx (Street Cry) whose dam, twice Australian Broodmare of the Year, Vegas Showgirl (Al Akbar), was bred in New Zealand.