Saturday summary: Puntura notches Challenge S.

Cover image courtesy of Peter Rubery, Race Images

Puntura rises to the Challenge at Trentham

Last-start winner of the G3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile, Puntura (NZ) (Vespa {NZ}) continued his hot form in the G2 Challenge S. at Trentham, winning in the shadows of the post.

Tough 6-year-old gelding Puntura was able to notch up his 10th career victory on Saturday at Trentham, taking out the G2 Challenge S. with a withering run down the extreme outside.

The Robert Patterson-trained galloper stood his rivals an enormous start as the field turned for home, having to make a sustained run down the centre of the track for jockey Craig Grylls to catch Belcare (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) in the final 50 metres of the 1400-metre race.

Having won at Group 3-level last start when taking out the G3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile, Puntura elevated again to win a weight-for-age Group 2 contest, his biggest career accomplishment to date.

He is out of recently pensioned mare Mumzahoney (NZ) (Magic Of Sydney), who has visited Vespa (NZ) in her last five servings, which has produced four foals, Puntura being the first, and most successful.

Puntura is a homebred for John and Carole Lynskey, who was never offered at public auction, retained to race for the family, who own Mumzahoney.

Numerian digs in to take out the Ted van Heemst

Trainer Annabel Neasham may have narrowly missed out on the G1 Northerly S. with Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), but her Perth raiding party won’t leave empty handed, with Numerian (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) taking out the G2 Ted van Heemst S. at Ascot.

It wasn’t smooth sailing at the point of the corner for Numerian or jockey Clint-Johnston Porter, having to negotiate Zoumon (Zoustar) and Rachel King hanging out, forcing Johnston-Porter and Jarrad Noske on Casino Seventeen (Casino Prince) out to the middle of the track to make their dash for the post.

In the end, the wider path mattered naught, with Numerian grabbing a brave Marocchino (Maschino) in the last 50 metres and going on to score by 1l, with Casino Seventeen back in third.

Numerian hadn’t been victorious since greeting the judge in the G2 The Q22 S. at Eagle Farm during the 2022 Queensland Carnival, but hadn’t been racing poorly, running a bold race when defeated by Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in the G1 Australian Cup in March of this year.

Both Numerian and Zoumon will progress to the G2 Perth Cup on January 1, with the former not receiving a penalty for his victory under weight-for-age conditions on Saturday.

Sagunto demolish gives update to Karaka bound half-sister

Sagunto (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) ran them off their legs in Saturday’s G3 Manawatu Cup over 2300 metres at Trentham on Saturday. The Peter and Kim McKay-trained 8-year-old gelding was an eye-catching 6l victor Fierce Flight (Flying Artie), while the third-placed Never Look Back (NZ) (Shocking) was a further 7.3l away.

Sagunto was a NZ$120,000 purchase by Peter and Kim McKoy from the Waikato Stud draft at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale. His dam, the Savabeel mare, Queen Sabeel won a Listed race and has a filly by Per Incanto (USA) heading to the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale in the Seaton Park draft as Lot 338.

Zarastro’s sensational summer continues in the Falvelon

Ridden aggressively from the barriers by Angela Jones, progressive gelding Zarastro (I Am Invincible) secured his second successive victory in the Listed Falvelon Quality at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Trainer Tony Gollan has worked his magic on another runner sent north for a change of scenery, with talented 5-year-old gelding Zarastro scoring a statement victory in the Listed Falvelon Quality at Eagle Farm.

Given a positive ride by regular jockey Angela Jones, the son of I Am Invincible controlled the speed and gave his rivals little hope of going past him, quickening smartly when called upon to hold a 1.9l margin on Nettuno (I Am Invincible) through the line.

Originally purchased as a yearling for $1,050,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Zarastro changed hands for just $32,500 as part of an Inglis Digital Sale, an amount which he has gone on to repay in spades for his new set of connections.

Out of Adrift (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), who won the G2 Light Fingers S. when racing, and boasts an impressive set of relations, including being a three-quarter sister to the G1 WS Cox Plate winner Maldivian (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). Zarastro is her only foal to have seen the racetrack, where he has won seven of 16 starts, placing second on an additional three occasions.

Legal Esprit (Bel Esprit) was able to secure third place, while Spacewalk (Exosphere) faded after looming as a potential challenger to run fourth.

Acquitted backs up for Lees

Newcastle-based trainer Kris Lees has made a habit of plundering Queensland riches. Lees was recently represented by the Australian Bloodstock-raced Dream Hour (Dawn Approach {Ire}) winning The Gateway in the Sunshine State securing a barrier in next year’s G1 Stradbroke H.

On Saturday, Lees was back at with the imported Acquitted (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who a start earlier had won the Listed Tails S. at Doomben. The Australian Bloodstock colour-bearer, ridden by James Orman, defeated Without Revenge (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) and The Vowels (Better Than Ready).

Acquitted is one of 43 stakes winners for Darley’s Night Of Thunder {Ire}).

Gitalong prevails in drama-packed Valley opener

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Dark Halo (Zoustar) was favoured by punters to take out the opening event at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Dark Halo lined-up in a small but competitive field with two of the four runners being last start winners, but the race was turned upside down when Dark Halo, with Dylan Browne-McMonagle, reared up in the barriers and missed the start by a considerable margin.

While another son of Zoustar, Gitalong, from the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes camp shot to the front, under Jye McNeil, and was too strong for Our Cracklin Rosie (Grunt {NZ}), who faded to third and Links (Spieth {NZ}) ran on gamely to finish third, as Dark Halo failed to beat a runner home.

It was the third consecutive victory for Gitalong, who has found form since being gelded. The 3-year-old opened his preparation with a maiden success at Hawkesbury and followed that up with a victory at Warwick Farm.

Gitalong is the first foal from the Epaulette mare Khulaasa, a victress of the G3 Thoroughbred Breeders’ S. She is a half-sister to the stakes winner Bulbula (Shamardal {USA}), who is the dam of the G2 Caulfield Sprint victor Doull (Snitzel).

The gelding is also related to Lazzago (Capitalist), a winner of the G2 Sweet Embrace S.

Khulaasa has a 2-year-old filly named Fitzalan (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and a yearling colt by I Am Invincible, she missed to that Champion Sire in 2022 and doesn’t have a 2023 produce before she was exported to France.

Gitalong was purchased by Paul Willetts Bloodstock for $200,000 from the draft of Shadwell Stud when they dispersed their Australasian stock at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale. Vinery Stud reoffered Gitalong at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where Hawkes Racing paid $425,000.