Flemington: Listed Straight Six H., $160,000, 1200m
It was a second Listed win - and one at nice odds - for Ocean Beyond (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) who at just his second start back in the spring of 2020 won the Listed Mitchell McKenzie S. at Moonee Valley.
Giving his Stawell-based trainer Andrew Bobbin a big thrill, Ocean Beyond relished the straight track as he took his prizemoney tally to beyond $339,000.
Passed in at the 2019 New Zealand Ready to Run Sale, the Waikato Stud-bred gelding by their G1 W.S Cox Plate-winning stallion, Ocean Beyond is out of the four-time winner Frankly (NZ) (Pins).
A full sister to the Listed winner Keano (NZ) who also won down the Flemington straight, Frankly is a granddaughter of the G1 Golden Slipper heroine Courtza (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}) whose outstanding dam Hunza (NZ) (Pakistan II {GB}) is also the fourth dam of Ocean Park (NZ) (Thorn Park).
Ocean Beyond joins Grunt (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) as a stakes winner from this great family line-bred to Hunza. He can boast amongst his relations the big race winners O'Reilly (NZ) (Last Tycoon {Ire}), Our Pompeii (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}), Madison County (NZ) (Pins) and Prince Kaapstad (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}).
Frankly was served last spring by Savabeel (Zabeel {NZ}) after producing a full sister to Ocean Beyond. Her previous foal, a Savabeel filly, was purchased by Mulcaster Bloodstock and Chris Waller for NZ$310,000 at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale.
Rosehill: Listed Lord Mayor's Cup, $150,000, 2000m
A game winner at just his second local outing, the imported Hopeful (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) put the writing on the wall with his G3 Hawkesbury Cup second, well and truly appreciating the step up to 2000 metres on Saturday.
Bred by Wertheimer ET Frere, Hopeful won at Group 3 level in his native France and overall has won six of his 15 starts. One of his G1 Epsom Derby-winning sire's 34 stakes winners (Treve {Fr} {Motivator {GB}} the most famous of those), he is out of the winner Monst (Ire) whose sire is the influential German Monsun (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}).
The dam of another two winners, Monst is out of the South American Group 1 winner First One (Arg) whose sire Southern Halo (USA) (Halo {USA}) is best known as the sire of the outstanding stallion More Than Ready (USA).
First One is a daughter of the triple Group 1 winner Fontemar (Arg) (Barbor {Arg}), also dam of the Group 3 mare Fontal (Arg) (Southern Halo {USA}), in turn dam of the US-based dual Listed winner Fond (USA) (Old Trieste {USA}). Fontemar's dam Fontana (Arg) (Farnesio {Arg}) also won at Group 1 level.
Trentham: Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup, NZ$60,000, 1600m
What a barnstorming win this was, at the age of seven Verry Flash (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) recording his first win at stakes level and in doing so showing a bit of the turn of foot his full sister is famous for.
The second stakes winner for the two-time winner Opulence (NZ) (Danroad), he is of course a full brother to the mighty mare Verry Elleegant (NZ). Whilst not displaying her class, he has been a good, tough campaigner with this win his ninth from 47 starts.
A homebred for Don Goodwin, Verry Flash is the 16th stakes winner for Grangewilliam Stud's lightly raced, Hawke's Bay maiden winner Zed (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) who kicked off his stud career at a fee of NZ$500 (plus GST), at times serving a variety of non thoroughbred mares!
Opulence is a great-granddaughter of Cotehele House (GB) (My Swanee {GB}) who also happens to be the third dam of Zed - giving Verry Flash a 4 X 4 cross of his own fourth dam.
A daughter of the mighty Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}), Cotehele House has had 51 runners as a line-breeding subject and of the 31 winners seven are stakes winners with three of those also being descendants... Fair Trade (Danewin), Quilate (Bramshaw) and Fiscal Fantasy (Skilled) who have all been successful at Group 3 level.
Also carrying a 3 X 3 Danehill (USA) (Danzig {USA})-cross, Verry Flash boasts duplications of three other influential mares within six generations - Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Flower Bowl (USA) (Alihbai {GB}).
Again served last spring by Zed having foaled a colt by him in late August, Opulence also has a 3-year-old (the Perth-based, Peters' family-owned Affluential {NZ}) who is yet to race) and a 2-year-old (yet to be named) by him. She has just one other daughter - Black Lace (NZ) (Towkay) who last September produced a filly by Zed, subsequently served by Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}).
