Cover image courtesy of Race Images
Tuesday saw a massive morning of trials at Te Rapa in New Zealand. Te Rapa held 30 heats, including several for the juveniles, while later, heats also saw the return of some classy gallopers!
Trial winner for D’Argento
The Bowness Stud-based D’Argento looks to have produced a promising juvenile named Didn’t Miss Many. The 2-year-old colt from the Cambridge yard of Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, ridden by Ashin Goindasamy, and was professional when winning the opening Heat (1) over the 750 metres by a widening 3l over the Blue Point (Ire) filly Kind Of Blue.
Didn’t Miss Many is from the first crop of the G1 Rosehill Guineas winner, a son of So You Think (NZ). The grey colt is the fourth foal from the unraced Snitzel mare Nervous Nellie.
She hails from the family of Zafonic (USA), the 1993 Horse of the Year and a four-time Group 1 winner.
The colt made $70,000 from Shaune Ritchie when offered by Bowness Stud at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Didn't Miss Many as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Seth’s Super start
Super Seth has made a great start to his new career at Waikato Stud. The son of Dundeel (NZ) has sired two winners and, on Tuesday, looks to have more in the pipeline.
In Heat 2, the Ben and Ryan Foote-trained Superdeel (NZ) took out the 750-metre gallop by 2.50l from the Deep Field gelding Endued, while Super Photon (NZ), another son of Super Seth, finished third.
Superdeel’s dam, The Real Beel (NZ), is a daughter of Savabeel, who won the G2 Cal Isuzu S. and was placed in the R. Listed Karaka Million 3YO Classic.
The colt is from the family of the Listed Placid Ark victress Ocean Jewel (Ocean Park {NZ}) and the G3 Gimcrack S. winner Catch Me (I Am Invincible).
Superdeel was a NZ$70,000 purchase by Ohukia Lodge at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale. He is set to be reoffered by them at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale next month, as Lot 271.
Superdeel (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Promising runners for Ardrossan
Waikato Stud’s Ardrossan is another young sire to make a promising start. The second-season sire has sired six winners of eight races so far and, on Monday, sired two trial winners from his latest crop.
The Cody Cole-trained Renovations (NZ) took out Heat 4, while Maracatu (NZ) won Heat 12 for the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson yard.
Waikato Stud-bred Renovations is owned by a syndicate that includes the Social Racing High Adrenalin Syndicate. The 2-year-old filly is from the unplaced Zabeel (NZ) mare Dee I Why (NZ), who is a daughter of the Listed victress Playful Fingers (NZ) (Defensive Play {USA}). Renovations is from the family of the late G1 CF Orr S. winner Manuel (Commands).
Maracatu was a NZ$190,000 purchase by David Ellis (CNZM) (BAFNZ) at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale. The colt is from the Listed-placed Sepoy mare Cortado, who is from the family Te Akau Racing’s G1 New Zealand Oaks victress Belle En Rouge (NZ) (Burgundy {NZ}).
Relation to Burn To Shine wins Heat 5
Rising Phoenix (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) continued a productive week for his family. The Stephen Marsh-trained gelding is from the Stravinsky (USA) mare Flying Firebird (NZ), the dam of the Group 2 winner Smoulder (NZ) (Traditionally {USA}).
Smoulder is the dam of last Saturday’s G3 War Decree S. victor Burn To Shine (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}).
Rising Phoenix (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Rising Phoenix, ridden by Craig Grylls, defeated the Alabama Express filly Clear Conscience.
The gelding was passed in at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale after not meeting his NZ$60,000 reserve.
Pierata Cambridge homebred salutes
Yulong Stud’s first-season sire Pierata is already the sire of a Listed winner in Coleman, and on Tuesday morning, was represented by a promising colt named Red Sea.
The colt, trained by Andrew Forsman, was a 1.25l victor of Heat 11 over 900 metres. Red Sea is a homebred for Cambridge Stud and is from the unraced Commands mare Egyptian Cross.
Pierata | Standing at Yulong
She is the daughter of the outstanding Our Egyptian Raine (NZ), the daughter of Desert Sun (GB), who was crowned the Champion Older Female Sprinter in New Zealand, winning the G1 Railway H. and the G2 Emirates Classic.
Red Sea is also related to the G3 Toy Show H. victress Egyptian Symbol (Stratum).
Wolverine back in action
Star mare Wolverine (NZ) (Tivaci) returned to action on Tuesday morning in Heat 9. However, she was sporting a new set of tangerine silks. Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis purchased Wolverine for $850,000 at this year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Ridden by Matthew Cameron, she defeated her stablemate Aotea Lad (NZ) (Savabeel) comfortably.
Wolverine (NZ) when sold through the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Formerly trained by Roydon Bergerson, the 4-year-old mare is now co-trained by his son, Sam (Bergerson) and Mark Walker.
Sam Bergerson, on course to oversee the trial was pleased with Wolverine’s effort, “I was in the ownership of her when Dad (Roydon) trained her, and he is now retained in the ownership. I gave him plenty of stick when he was training her, and now he is giving it to me,” Bergerson told NZ Racing Desk.
“Hopefully, we can get some results and keep the pressure off. It was really exciting to see her trial like that and see her back out in a public setting in New Zealand.
“She seems very well and is on the right track. We will tackle the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint at Te Rapa next Saturday. It is tracking to be a pretty good field.
“She (Wolverine) seems very well and is on the right track. We will tackle the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint at Te Rapa next Saturday. Longer term, we are thinking about something like the G1 Telegraph H. or the G1 Railway S.” - Sam Bergerson
“Longer term, we are thinking about something like the G1 Telegraph H. or the G1 Railway S.”
Te Akau Racing also saw a nice return of their Group 2 winner Wild Night (NZ) (Vanbrugh), who, ridden by Opie Bosson, took out Heat 8.
Speedy Berlin impressive at Te Rapa
Heat 6 saw the speedy Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard) hit the track. The Ben and Ryan-trained mare was a visually impressive 4.5l victress over her rivals with Courtney Barnes in the saddle.
Ben Foote indicated the mare is targeting the G1 Railway H. and the G1 Telegraph S. and would likely clash with Wolverine in the Listed Legacy Lodge S. next Saturday.
Babylon Berlin | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“It was a good hitout, she has been in work for a little while, and I just wanted to see where her fitness was at,” Foote told NZ Racing Desk.
“I told Courtney (Barnes) to keep pushing her through the line to make sure she had a really good hitout.
“She was a handful and was doing it pretty easy. We will just see how she pulls up. The main targets are the Railway and the Telegraph, so whether we go to the Legacy Lodge or the Countries Bowl, we will just see.”
