Legarto claims NZB Filly of the Year honours
Dual Group 1 victress Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) has beaten a star-studded field in being crowned the 2022/23 New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) Filly of the Year. The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained filly racked up 26 points in the 11-race series, thanks to wins in the G3 Soliloquy S. at Te Rapa in October, G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton in November and the G2 Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day.
The NZB Filly of the Year title earns Legarto’s connections NZ$50,000 in bonus cheques, including NZ$10,000 for her breeder Warwick Jeffries, NZ$10,000 for her trainers and NZ$30,000 for her owners.
Sir Patrick Dispersal live on Gavelhouse Plus
The unreserved dispersal sale of bloodstock belonging to the late Sir Patrick Hogan is live on Gavelhouse Plus, with the 31-horse catalogue featuring weanlings, yearlings, racing propositions and broodmares. The stock is part of countless carefully curated matings that span multiple generations of Cambridge Stud families, and they include the likes of Crown Jewels (NZ), a daughter of Tavistock (NZ) from the brilliant producer Diamond Like (Danehill {USA}).
Crown Jewels (NZ) | Image courtesy of Gavelhouse Plus
Gavelhouse Plus has made x-rays and scopes available for all registered veterinarians via the NZB Online Repository. Bidding on the sale will open at 10am (NZST) this coming Wednesday, April 26, with the final countdown to commence at 7pm (NZST) on Friday, April 28.
Horses are available for inspection at Monarch Farm in Tamahere between this Friday and Monday, 10am to 2.30pm (NZST). Yearlings and racing propositions can be inspected at Kiltannon Lodge in Cambridge, contactable at +64 27 861 7073.
Archer final field declared
The final field for the second running of Rockhampton’s $775,000 The Archer on April 30 has been declared, with the final two horses negotiated in the last 48 hours. Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have confirmed with their sprinter Surf Dancer (Ire), a son of Lope De Vega (Ire), for a syndicate that includes China Horse Club and Ballylinch Stud, while Ciaron Maher and David Eustace will send up Victorian sprinter Blaze A Trail (Criterion {NZ}). Surf Dancer will take the slot owned by the late grazier Alan Acton and his wife Jennifer, Acton recently killed in a helicopter accident.
Surf Dancer | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Jennifer wants to carry on with it so much because she knows how much that race meant to Alan,” said Waterhouse, speaking to the Courier Mail this week. “How much time and energy he put into The Archer was very special.”
Among the confirmed runners are Weona Smartone (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) for slotholder Max Whitby, Maotai (Not A Single Doubt) for Aquis Farm, Royal Ascot winner Inver Park (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) for Australian Bloodstock and defending winner Emerald Kingdom (Bryannbo’s Gift {NZ}) for slotholder Bucket List Syndicate.
Razeta looking good for Hawkesbury Guineas
Kris Lees’ 3-year-old filly Razeta was a last-start Heavy 8 winner of the Listed South Pacific Classic during The Championships, but her trainer told journalist Ray Hickson this week that she’s more than just a wet-track specialist. The filly will contest this Saturday’s G3 Hawkesbury Guineas, which is likely to be on firmer footing.
“She does have a good wet-track record but she has a good turn of foot on either ground,” Lees said. “She just needs things to go her way. She keeps drawing these average gates, but she’s in good order.”
Razeta has drawn barrier five for the Hawkesbury Guineas. Apprentice Dylan Gibbons has been booked for the ride after piloting the filly in her last-start victory.
Douglas chases black-type win
In the same month, Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) handed him a maiden Group 1 triumph, young Mornington-based trainer Clayton Douglas has his eyes on feature race success at his local track. Douglas will saddle talented mare Bless Her (Street Boss {USA}) in the Listed Hareeba S. on Saturday.
Clayton Douglas | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“It would be great to win a race on our feature day, but it would be better to win for the owners who have been loyal owners,” he said. “They’ve been in a few horses with me and one of my good mates, Troy Wilson, is one of the managing owners, so to get a stakes win next to her name would be phenomenal.”
Craig Williams will partner the five-time winner.
Weatherleys eye Queensland Derby for Arby
Promising 3-year-old Arby (NZ) (Proisir) will be on trial for an overseas hit-and-run mission when he steps out at Pukekohe Park on Saturday. The Darryn and Briar Weatherley-trained gelding will attempt to add the G3 Trelawney Stud Championship S. (2100 metres) to his record after claiming the G3 Manawatu Classic (2000 metres) last time out.
Further success for Arby will bring a trip to Brisbane for the G1 Queensland Derby (2400 metres) a step closer.
“If he runs as well on Saturday as he did at Manawatu then I would really like to have a throw at the stumps in the Derby in five weeks' time,” Darryn Weatherley said. “He wouldn’t have a run leading up to it, this would be his last one, so that’s in the back of my mind. He would have to run up to his Manawatu form though, if he was below par then we wouldn’t consider it.”
Julius wants rain for Just Folk
Bendigo-based trainer Josh Julius hopes the Hawkesbury track will be rain-affected for the Cup meeting on Saturday. Julius will send out the dual Group 2 winner Just Folk (Magnus) in the $200,000 feature and he has won twice on soft ground and three times on a heavy-rated track.
“The Hawkesbury Cup was on the radar as realistically being the only option for him in Sydney in the autumn and as it has panned out, he comes here third-up. Hopefully, we can get his toe into the ground and he seems to appreciate this way of going,” the trainer said.
Boom filly seeks stakes success
Talented 3-year-old Chinny Boom (Spirit Of Boom) will look to add a black-type victory to her record at Doomben on Saturday. The filly, who boasts six wins from seven starts, will line up in the Listed Mick Dittman Plate.
Chinny Boom | Image courtesy of Michael McInally Photography
“I think you could go so far as saying this is one of the strongest 3-year-old races I have seen in a long time in Brisbane,” trainer Clinton Taylor told News Corp. “Chinny Boom has earned her go at this grade and I think it’s a terrific race. I am sure that she is not out of place in this field.”
Cup trip no Shocka for Mackinnon placegetter
Mick Price reckons the 2400 metres of Saturday’s Listed Mornington Cup will suit Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) down to the ground. Hezashocka, who was unplaced in his lone try at the trip in the 2021 Queensland Derby, ran a blinder in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. last time out, finishing fourth, 2.9l behind Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai).
Hezashocker (NZ) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“He'll eat up the 2400 metres,” said Price, who trains the gelding in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, “I’ve been dying to get him to get him to that trip again, but they keep putting these $5 million races on in front of me and he keeps teasing us that he can win them.”
Blake Shinn will ride the 5-year-old in the $300,000 feature, which carries a golden ticket into the G1 Caulfield Cup.
McDougall likely to miss rest of season
Victoria’s leading jockey, Blaike McDougall, is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from a C7 vertebrae fracture, which he sustained during a race fall at Geelong on March 24.
“We’ll wait to hear more from the doctors, but the expectation is he’ll probably be out for 12 weeks and then restart trackwork in mid-to-late July and look towards the spring, but that is still yet to be confirmed,” McDougall's manager Hayden Kelly, told Racing.com.
McDougall currently leads the Victorian Jockeys’ Premiership with 92 wins.
Latta armed for Riccarton invasion
Matamata-based trainer Lisa Latta is hoping Platinum Invador (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) can emulate her former Canterbury Gold Cup winner Authentic Paddy (NZ) (Howbaddouwantit {USA}) in Saturday’s Group 3 feature at Riccarton. Authentic Paddy was a big, imposing front-runner who dominated his rivals from the outset to score a narrow but deserved win in the 2016 event on his way to winning a G1 Zabeel Classic before retirement.
Platinum Invador comes in a little lighter on the scales and he’s more likely to be swamping his rivals with a sweeping late run if he can secure victory this weekend.
“It was a pretty good track the day Authentic Paddy won and he was just too good. He just put himself on speed and he’d take luck out of the equation,” Latta said. “Platinum Invador is nothing like him. He could get pretty fired up in the early days but not now. He’s pretty widely travelled now and he’s an easy horse to work with. I’d expect him to be right in it. We wouldn’t have gone down there unless we thought that.”
