Written by Paul Vettise
Talented filly Aalaalune (NZ) (GB) may be set for an early season clash with the older horses during the Hawke’s Bay spring carnival with serious consideration to a start in the G1 Tarzino Trophy.
The rising 3-year-old, who met and matched the leading juveniles in her first campaign, is currently 18th in order of entry for the feature sprint at the end of next month and a natural attrition rate could see her make the final line-up.
Plans for Aalaalune will become clearer after her seasonal debut at Ruakaka on August 11 and she indicated her readiness with a trial win over 900 metres at Te Rapa.
“The owners are quite keen on the Tarzino and if she could get in she would only carry 48.5kg,” trainer Jacob McKay said.
“The owners are quite keen on the Tarzino and if she could get in she would only carry 48.5kg.” – Jacob McKay.
“It would be a huge test for a 3-year-old filly against hardened weight-for-age horses, but in saying that she would be carrying 12kg less than some of them. Over 1400 meters on a slow track and if she ran out of her skin that light weight it would bring her into contention.
“Realistically, she would have to win under a hold at Ruakaka to look at it.”
Aalaalune was purchased out of Westbury Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale draft for NZ$230,000 by Tauranga couple Lou and Val Te Keeti under their Te Keeti Bloodstock banner.
Aalaalune as a yearling
She is out of the unraced Fastnet Rock mare Veva Girl and the family of the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner and G1 Blue Diamond S. runner-up Brief Embrace (Irgun {USA}) and the Group 2 winners and G1 placegetters Osborne Bulls (Street Cry {Ire}) and Viridine (Poet’s Voice {GB}).
Aalaalune didn’t take long to show she had the talent to go with her pedigree and placed in the Listed Splice S. on debut. She subsequently finished fourth in the G3 Eclipse S., sixth in the Karaka Million and third in the G2 Matamata Breeders S.
Group 1 placing
She then ran second in the G1 Sistema S. and was turned out after a close fourth in the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S.
“I broke her in and that’s how I made the association with the owners,” McKay said. “She’s pretty straight forward and enjoys being in a smaller stable and doesn’t take a lot of work. She basically lets us know what she wants to do.
“She only ever raced in black type company and never let us down. She was a bit unlucky to not have won one.
“She had a couple of months off after Awapuni and we’ve got the first trial out of the way. After a big 2-year-old season you never quite know how they will come back, but it looks like it’s all systems go for the spring.”
“After a big 2-year-old season you never quite know how they will come back, but it looks like it’s all systems go for the spring.” – Jacob McKay.
McKay said Aalaalune had also progressed physically and mentally with a break.
“She’s grown a lot and she’s still developing. She’s a big filly now a she probably won’t be fully developed until later in the season.”
The G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, Karaka 3YO Million and the G1 New Zealand Oaks are prestige races in the mix for Aalaalune.
“She’s a real chance of being competitive in those races and she’s got the breeding to go a bit further,” McKay said.
