Talented Norwegian Bliss chasing valuable black type at Rosehill
Gerry Harvey’s five-year-old mare attempts to add first stakes victory to record in Winter Challenge
Gerry Harvey’s former boom galloper Norwegian Bliss (El Roca) could be drinking at the last chance saloon in today’s Winter Challenge (Listed, 1500m) at Rosehill, a race in which she and several other mares will be seeking black type on the season’s penultimate Saturday.
Bred and retained by Harvey out of an unraced Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) mare, Norwegian Bliss started ballistically for young Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle, winning her first seven starts from September 2021 to last November, from a Port Macquarie maiden to a 1200-metre Randwick Benchmark 84 handicap.
She then stepped up to Group 3 level in Caulfield’s late-spring Heffernan Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) and came close, as favourite, to lifting black type at the first attempt, when finishing a three-quarter-length second to Crosshaven (Smart Missile).
Major things were expected in the Sydney autumn but Norwegian Bliss disappointed, running eighth of 11 and seventh of nine at Group 3 and Group 2 level before the campaign was aborted.
The five-year-old resumed last week in Grafton’s Ramornie Handicap (Listed, 1200m) and failed again, running 12th. A slightly bungled start and the suspicion 1200 metres was now too short for her have kept hopes alive that all is not done with the mare. But connections feel they will learn a lot about her future when she lines up in a capacity 14-horse field today, at around the $14 mark.
“We’ve still got high hopes for her – not many win seven in a row,” Harvey told ANZ Bloodstock News. “She’d have to run really badly for us to be gutted.”
Harvey’s racing and bloodstock manager Luke McDonald explained Norwegian Bliss may have been plagued by knee issues in her brief autumn campaign, and said she had been treated with lameness drug arthramid for the preparation, as she had previously.
“We’ve used arthramid on her again this campaign so hopefully she can perform well now,” McDonald said.
“She did have excuses at Grafton, but still if she was a topline mare you’d expect her to do better. She steps up to 1500 metres this time, which should suit her down to the ground. Hopefully she can lead or get close, and get that momentum she needs in her races. If she does, she’ll fight out the finish, but if she doesn’t fire, we might as well retire her.”
Five-year-old Lady Of Luxury (Criterion), raced by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, is likely to continue on the track even if she scores a victory today which would earn her a particularly rare distinction.
Should the Bjorn Baker-trained mare score, she’ll be the first stakes-winner for Sir Owen’s Criterion, the former track star whose sub-fertility limited him to just 12 named foals in a brief attempt. Eight have been winners, with one Listed-placed, but Baker was last night optimistic about Lady Of Luxury bringing her sire belated honours.
She caught the eye at her fourth run from a long break last start when coming from well back for fifth in the Winter Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Randwick, against several rivals she’ll meet again today, but was still at a generous $17 last night.
“She’s an underrated mare who keeps improving,” Baker said. “Blinkers go on for the first time in her whole career, so she’s definitely not out of it. I’m not sure what Sir Owen will do next season, but I’d like to keep her going, go to the Magic Millions, and I’m sure she can get black type.”
Barbie’s Fox (Foxwedge) also flashed home in the Winter Stakes, running fourth amid horrendous luck in the straight, and is at $4.20 today, while Kris Lees’ Australian Bloodstock gelding Acquitted (Night Of Thunder), who was second that day, is a $9 hope this time.
“She ran well without luck last start – she’s still trying to get out,” co-trainer JD Hayes said of Barbie’s Fox. “She’s been trucking along well since the run and should hopefully run well again today. She’s looking like she’ll keep on racing for another season.”
The market was headed last night, at around the $3.70, by the Maher-Eustace three-year-old filly Semana (Winning Rupert), who comfortably made it five wins from 11 starts in rising to Saturday city grade in a 1400-metre fillies and mares’ Benchmark 78 handicap at Rosehill on July 1.
Semana was first emergency last night but looked set to gain a run, with trainer Chris Waller indicating he would scratch two of his five acceptors.
Gary Portelli’s consistent Laurel Oak Bloodstock six-year-old Ruby Tuesday (Deep Field), likely stud-bound this spring, was another who looked generously priced at around $21, after swooping home for sixth over 1200 metres at Randwick first-up.
Aside from earning a black type win to boost her own breeding stocks, Norwegian Bliss can potentially play a role in the most gripping battle commanding attention in breeding circles – that to decide the country’s premier broodmare sire.
It’s a fierce contest between those great rivals Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) and Encosta De Lago (Fairy King), who’ve shared the past seven such titles.
Heading into today, Redoute’s Choice has the front-running to join Encosta on four, but it’s no fait accompli. As of yesterday, Redoute’s was leading the way, but only by $229,535. Encosta appears to have a stronger hand today, if only by number of starters.
Across Australia’s five major capitals, there are 19 runners who have Encosta De Lago as their broodmare sire, while Redoute’s Choice is represented by only seven. However, the average price for Encosta’s representatives last night was $29, compared with $9.50 for Redoute’s Choice.
At Rosehill they have three each: Encosta with Nullify (Epaulette, $51) in the third race, Acappella Sun (Sebring Sun, $6.50) in the sixth and Norwegian Bliss at $14. Redoute’s has Sumo Star (Maurice, $8) in the first, Barradas (Star Turn, $9.50) in the third, and O’Tycoon (Written Tycoon, $8.50) in the fifth.
At Caulfield, Redoute’s has no representatives, while Encosta has five: Piastri (Choisir, $9) in the first; Never Again (High Chaparral, $13) and Ferago (Fiorente, $4.20) in the third, first starter Djawara (Vespa, $151) in the sixth, and St Lawrence (Redwood, $2.40) in the ninth.
At Doomben, Encosta has three: The Kewess (Super One, $26) in the seventh; Salateen (I Am Invincible, $5) in the eighth; and Scottish Prince (Rothesay, $81) in the last. Redoute’s has two: Wairere Falls (Savabeel, $14) in the third, and Princess Tenko (Real Impact, $3.60) in the last.
At Belmont, Redoute’s again has none, to Encosta’s four: Sisu Warrior (Gold Standard, $2.50) in the first; Dreamtime Jean (Lean Mean Machine, $51) in the third, Here’s Dreaming (War Chant, $14) in the seventh, and Panzdown (Panzer Division, $17) in the eighth.
And at Morphettville, Encosta has two in Canford (Canford Cliffs, $19) in the first, and Ahso (Sebring, $41) in the last. Redoute’s has two in Aramoso (Mikki Isle, $19) in the second and So Say Angel (So You Think, $4.40) in the sixth.
Also, while Darwin isn’t usually much of a factor on prize–money charts, today it’s had a prize-money bump for NT Derby Day. Encosta has Miracoli (Pierro, $9) in the first and Kikuyu (Crowded House, $26) in the fourth. Redoute’s has Lake’s Folly (Pierro, $11) in the sixth, while he also does have Dartboard (Shooting To Win) in the lucrative last – the NT Derby (2050m) – which carries $89,100 to the winner, though he was rated a $41 longshot last night.
Back at Rosehill, one Winter Challenge acceptor of much interest is Brazilian Grade 1 winner Iene Fortune (Goldokovic). The Chris Waller-trained four-year-old gelding – who arrived here from a Hong Kong campaign aborted after several moderate barrier trials – is just the tenth Brazilian-bred imported to Australia, and only the third brought here to race.
Spirit (Soldier Of Fortune), another who reached Waller via Hong Kong, had seven runs for two Eagle Farm thirds before retiring in 2021. And Olympic Korchnoi (Agnes Gold), imported straight from Brazil, ran last for Phillip Stokes at Flemington last spring, second-last at the Sunshine Coast for James Moore in April, and is now about to try his luck in Cairns.
Iene Fortune’s last race before leaving for Hong Kong was a three-length victory in the Gran Premio Jockey Club de Sao Paulo (Gr 1, 2000m) in October, 2021, while he had a Grade 1 second as a late two-year-old at Gavea, in Rio de Janeiro.
The four-year-old has some impressive bloodlines, being by Goldikovic – a son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) out of the great 2010 Cartier Horse of the Year Goldikova (Anabaa), However, those waiting to see the Brazilian in action may have to wait, with Waller yesterday expressing reluctance to start him today from the outside gate of 19 (including emergencies).
“I don’t know if we should waste a run. He hasn’t raced for a long time, and I think he’s a confidence horse,” Waller said on social media. “So we might wait with him.”
Waller also said Polly Grey (Azamour) was unlikely to resume in the race, with the rising nine-year-old grey mare burdened by the 59.5kg topweight, barrier 17, and by the unfavourably “too firm” track, with her 11 wins having come on soft or heavy going.
Rosehill was last night a soft 5, with sunny conditions forecast.