Listed Neds Mornington Cup, $350,000, 2400m
Race summary:
In an exciting finish between expat New Zealanders Mike Moroney and Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, it was the former who prevailed with Aktau (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}).
Ridden by Jye McNeil, Aktau settled well back in the second half of the field as Hush Writer (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) went out to a clear lead.
The Busuttin and Young-trained Inverloch (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) settled in second, then seized his chance when the front-runner started to tire approaching the home turn.
Inverloch burst to the front and opened up a big advantage, but Aktau flew out of the pack late and caught him in the last few strides to win by 0.75l.
Skelm (Animal Kingdom {USA}) made the field off the emergencies list and charged home from last to finish third, a half-neck behind Inverloch.
Racing in the colours of R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd, Aktau has now had eight starts for four wins, three placings and $397,045 in stakes. Having begun his career in the United Kingdom, he has now won two of his three Australian starts
Saturday’s win has guaranteed Aktau a start in the G1 Caulfield Cup in October.
Pedigree notes:
Aktau is by Teofilo (Ire), who is the sire of 606 winners from 978 runners worldwide with 87 individual stakes winners. In Australia, he has sired 118 winners from 204 runners with 13 at stakes level, headed by Group 1 winners Happy Clapper, Humidor (NZ), Palentino, Kermadec (NZ), Sonntag and Godolphin’s Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter (GB).
The dam of Aktau is Rare Ransom (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who won two races, placed in the G2 Leopardstown Debutante S. and finished fourth in the Irish 1000 Guineas.
Rare Ransom is out of another Debutante S. placegetter, Rapid Ransom (USA) (Red Ransom {USA}), who is a half-sister to the stakes-winner Warrior Queen (USA) (Quiet American {USA}) – the dam of multiple Grade 2 winner A. P. Warrior (USA) (A. P. Indy {USA}) and granddam of Grade 2 winner Global View (USA) (Galileo {Ire}).
Another of Rapid Ransom’s half-sisters, the unraced Call Me Pretty (USA) (Peaks and Valleys {USA}), is the dam of the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic winner and Group 1-placed Born To Rock (Fastnet Rock), as well as the Listed SAJC Lightning S. winner Prettyhappyaboutit (Magnus).
Rare Ransom is the dam of three winners from five foals to race.
Listed Neds Hareeba S., $200,000, 1200m
Race summary:
Diamond Effort (Mossman) claimed her first stakes victory in a tight finish to Mornington’s sprint feature.
She and Runson (Delzao) trailed the early leader Faatinah (Nicconi) through the early part of the race, with Runson sitting second and Diamond Effort third.
Faatinah faded quickly out of contention at the top of the straight, and Runson swept to a clear lead in what looked like a winning move.
But Diamond Effort slowly but surely wore him down through the last 250 metres, getting up to win by a short neck.
Seabrook (NZ) (Hinchinbrook) produced a strong finish from well back in the field to run third, 0.5l behind the first pair.
Diamond Effort has now had 12 starts for six wins, two placings and $323,000 in stakes for more than a dozen owners. She is trained at Caulfield by Clinton McDonald.
Diamond Effort was a $140,000 purchase from Cornerstone Stud’s draft at the 2017 Inglis Melbourne Yearling Sale.
Pedigree notes:
Diamond Effort was bred by Geoff and Christine Tucker.
She is by Mossman, who stood at stud from 2000 to 2017 and is the sire of 498 winners from 696 runners including 41 individual stakes winners. He is the sire of Group 1 winners Buffering, Mossfun, Ofcourseican, Plucky Belle, Miss Mossman and Ivictory.
Diamond Effort is out of Relativity (Geiger Counter {USA}), who won five races and is the dam of five winners from six foals to race. Diamond Effort is the second stakes winner, joining Second Effort (Mossman), who won the G2 PB Lawrence S., G3 Bletchingly S. and two editions of the Listed Wangoom H.
Relativity is out of Western Zip (Zephyr Zip {NZ}), who won the Listed WATC Gimcrack S.
Relativity’s third dam Pop Art (Arch Sculptor {GB}) is also the third dam of the G1 William Reid S. winner Hellbent (I Am Invincible) and multiple New Zealand Group 1 winner Viadana (NZ) (Towkay).
Tauranga, G2 Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy, NZ$100,000, 1600m
Race summary:
Scott Base (NZ) (Dalgar {Fr}) ended a two-year win drought with a powerful performance at Tauranga.
Trainer Jamie Richards put blinkers on the problem-plagued 5-year-old on Saturday, and he slid forward into an uncharacteristically prominent position in fourth for rider Danielle Johnson.
Scott Base travelled smoothly coming up to the turn, trailing the front-running favourite The Mitigator (Master Of Design).
Johnson angled Scott Base off the rail at the top of the straight, and Scott Base rediscovered the explosive turn of foot that carried him to multiple big-race successes as a 3-year-old.
He charged to the lead and raced away, winning by 2.75l. Polly Grey (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}) stuck on solidly to run second, with 0.5l back to Ocean Billy (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) and The Mitigator.
Bought for NZ$70,000 at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, Scott Base has now had 21 starts for five wins, five placings and NZ$734,750 in stakes for owners Chris Rutten, John Norwood, Joanna and John Frew.
Originally trained by Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard, Scott Base won the NZ$1 million Karaka Million 3YO Classic and the G2 Wellington Guineas as a 3-year-old. Injuries put him on the sidelines for more than a year, and he returned this season in the stable of premiership-leading trainer Jamie Richards.
Pedigree notes:
Scott Base was bred by Neven Botica’s Botsky Pty Ltd.
He is by Dalghar (Fr), who stands for a service fee of NZ$5,000 at Brighthill Farm. He is the sire of 60 winners from 126 runners, with Scott Base one of two individual stakes winners. The other is Astara (NZ), who won the Listed Champagne S. and Soliloquy S.
The dam of Scott Base is Extra Celestial (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who placed on the racetrack and is a half-sister to Listed winner Turbo Street (Encosta De Lago) and stakes-placed Home On A Wing (Hawk Wing {USA}).
Extra Celestial is out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Outback Prince (Desert Prince {Ire}) and Hotel Grand (Grand Lodge {USA}).
From three foals to race, Extra Celestial is the dam of three winners. Both Golden Organic (NZ) (Dalghar {Fr}) and Shaman (NZ) (Dalghar {Fr}) won races in Australia.
Extra Celestial produced another two Dalghar colts in 2016 and 2017, then a colt by I Am Invincible in 2019.
Riccarton, G3 Valachi Downs SI Breeders’ S., NZ$80,000, 1600m
Race summary:
In November, Waikato Stud’s Mike Rennie and White Robe Lodge’s Jack Stewart teamed up to buy Out Of The Park (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) for NZ $14,000 on the online auction site Gavelhouse. On Saturday that mare delivered a massively valuable Group 3 win.
Ridden by Krishna Mudhoo for young trainer Robert Dennis, the 5-year-old showed early speed before settling in fourth behind a solid pace set by Ticket To Ride (NZ) (Shocking).
Monza Circuito (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) kicked forward from third to challenge for the lead at the top of the straight, and Out Of The Park began to warm up just to her inside.
That pair became increasingly prominent in the straight and looked likely to fight out the finish, but they were joined by Beneficial (NZ) (Highly Recommended) with a big late finish from third-last.
The three mares hit the line locked together, with Out of the Park snatching victory by a half-head from Monza Circuito. Beneficial was another nose away in third.
Out of the Park has now had 26 starts for four wins, 11 placings and $108,950 in stakes. Since being purchased by Rennie and Stewart late last year and travelling down from the North Island, she has won four of her six starts.
Pedigree notes:
Out of the Park was bred by Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick. She is by Cox Plate winner Ocean Park (NZ), who stands at Waikato for a service fee of NZ$15,000.
With his oldest progeny now 5-year-olds, Ocean Park is the sire of 133 winners from 218 runners. Out Of The Park became his eighth individual stakes winner, joining a list headed by the G1 Epsom H. and Golden Eagle winner Kolding (NZ).
Out of the Park’s dam is Under And Over (NZ) (Danasinga), who won three races and is a sibling to two stakes races. Happy Gilmour (NZ) (Kinjite {NZ}) won Listed races at Selangor and Penang, while Bird (NZ) (Danasinga) won the Listed Warstep S. at Riccarton and is the dam of Listed winners Preditor (NZ) (Savabeel) and Flamingo (NZ) (Pins).
Under and Over’s dam is a half-sister to Seraphic (NZ) (Imposing), who won the G3 Rotorua Challenge S. and placed in the G1 New Zealand S. and is the granddam of Group 1 performers Irlanda (NZ) (O’Reilly), Chenille (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) and Chintz (NZ) (Savabeel). Chintz is also the dam of this season’s Group 2-winning juvenile Not An Option (Not a Single Doubt).
Under and Over is the dam of four named foals, all of them winners. She had another Ocean Park filly in 2015, then a filly by Pins in 2017. She returned to Ocean Park last spring.
