Another Coupland's Bakery Mile for Karaka Graduates

Canterbury's Premier week of racing has seen some fantastic racing and yesterday's meeting was no exception with three black type races on the card, and two being taken out by Karaka graduates.

The running of the Group 2 $250,000 Coupland's Bakery Mile (1600m) saw a brilliant performance from Altered Image (Strategic Image x Dented Ambition) to take the Group 2 feature.

Settling right on a blistering pace, jockey Michael Coleman and Altered Image ranged up alongside Fritzy Boy at the 600 metres and straightened for the run home. The son of Strategic Image kicked away at the 250 metres and was simply too good for his opposition, winning the Group 2 race by two lengths.

Michael Coleman was confident going into the race and was thrilled with Altered Image's performance.

"He travelled nice. When he got up outside Fritzy Boy he came back to me. He just settled and raced really even.

"I was pretty confident along way out as he travelled so beautifully. He's a great horse when they get him right. He was always going to quicken in beautifully and he did."

Co-trainer Andrew Clarken was also very impressed with the Group 2 victory.

"The horse is Group 1 class. He's come back from injury, we've bided our time with him, but the horse has definitely got the ability there and he's shown it today."

Altered Image was unbeaten as a two-year-old in three starts including a six-and-a-half length win in the Listed Fairview Motors Ford 2YO (1200m) before as a three-year-old, winning the Group 1 Levin Classic. He has come back this season at his best and gave his rivals a lesson fresh up at Hastings in the DHL Global Premier before running a last start second to Salvatore in the South Auckland Racing Club Cup.

Trained by Michael Moroney & Andrew Clarken and owned by B D Brown, C F Lindberg, P A Moroney, A H South & B C Thomas, Altered Image was bought from the Belmont Farm draft in the 2007 Karaka Festival Sale for only $20,000 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock. The five-year-old has now won six of his 16 starts and has earned connections over $427,000 in stakes.

The running of the Group 3 $100,000 CJC Stewards Stakes (1200m) saw yet another strong performance from Coup Align (Align x Diamond Snip). Only landing back on New Zealand soil five days before the race, Coup Align was sent straight to the front by Lisa Allpress and was simply too good, kicking away in the home straight to hold the field by two lengths to take back to back wins in the Group 3.

Trained by Michael Pitman and owned by R A Coupland and Mrs J Walls, Coup Align was bought by Badgers Bloodstock for R Coupland from Highview Stud from the 2007 Karaka Select Yearling Sale for $30,000. The son of Align has now won 12 of his 19 starts and has earned connections over $350,000.

The 2011 Karaka National Yearling Sale Series will be held at New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka sale complex on 31 January to 7 February. Catalogues will be available from 26 November.

For more information on the up and coming sales, please visit www.nzb.co.nz for more details.