Towering Vision (NZ) Takes Te Rapa Feature

Te Akau Racing’s Towering Vision (NZ) (Circus Maximus) took his career to new heights in Saturday’s $80,000 Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa, heading a clean sweep of the top three placings by Karaka graduates.

Towering Vision was bought by David Ellis for $105,000 from Windsor Park Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2024. His three-start career has produced a win, two placings and $53,380 in stakes.

Third on debut over 1100 metres at Te Rapa in December, Towering Vision was freshened by trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson before returning to action with another third placing at Matamata on April 17.

The step up to 1400 metres on Saturday proved to be ideal for the gelding, who enjoyed a comfortable run in fourth along the rail for jockey Craig Grylls. When the three leaders moved wider around the home turn in search of better ground, Grylls stuck to the inside and began to move Towering Vision through his gears.

Towering Vision bounded to the front with 250 metres to run, then began to drift sideways under pressure. Despite his greenness, he fought back gamely when the fast-finishing Navy Dreams (NZ) (Merchant Navy) drew up alongside him in the last 100 metres.

Towering Vision rose to that challenge and refused to let Navy Dreams get past, edging him out by a nose in a tight finish.

“He hopped away nicely and put himself there before idling up to them in the home straight,” Grylls said. “He got a little bit lost when he kicked away and the second horse has possibly headed him, but to his credit he picked himself up again.

“You would think 1600 metres will be ideal for him, because he is a big, long-striding type.”

The first stakes winner for Windsor Park Stud’s freshman sire Circus Maximus, Towering Vision is held in high regard by Walker and Bergerson.

“He had to come through on the inside of runners in the worst of the ground, so it was a good tough effort,” Walker said. “It looked as though Navy Dreams was going on to beat him, but he fought back strongly to win, and that’s the sign of a promising horse.

“We’ve always liked the progeny of Circus Maximus. Now that they’re getting up over ground, we do feel they’ll start to excel, especially heading into their three-year-old season.

“Well done to the owners that came into the horse. We’d always liked him and there was quite a bit of him still unsold after he had his first trial when he ran second. A lot of people took notice then and got involved in his ownership, so good on them, and he’d produced two good efforts for third before winning a stakes race today.”

Runner-up Navy Dreams was a $32,500 purchase by Raptors Thoroughbred from Book 2 of Karaka 2024. He is now a black-type placegetter while still a maiden, and he has so far banked $16,450 from a four-race career.

The third placegetter on Saturday was Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan), who was bought by Benner Racing for $165,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2024. A full-brother to fellow Karaka graduate Beau Dazzler (NZ) (Ardrossan), who placed in Saturday’s Group Two Queensland Guineas (1600m), Toretto has had seven starts for a win, three placings and $61,725.

Vendor	Windsor Park Stud
Purchaser	Mr DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) (Te Akau)
Breeding	Circus Maximus – Qiji Vision
Sale	Lot 333, Karaka 2024 Book 1, $105,000
Breeder	Qiji NZ Thoroughbred Club Ltd & W O Yue
Owner	Te Akau Look Smart Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM)