Atmospheric (NZ) Ascends to Stakes Company in Anzac 1600

Having competed strongly against black-type horses all through his career, NZB Ready to Run Sale graduate Atmospheric (NZ) (El Roca) stepped up to that level himself on Friday with victory in the $80,000 Listed Jennian Homes Anzac 1600 at Otaki.

Westbury Stud offered Atmospheric at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, where his former trainer Cody Cole bought him for $45,000. From a 15-race career, Atmospheric has recorded four wins and seven placings and has earned $164,140.

Atmospheric showed exciting potential with two wins as a three-year-old last season, including a defeat of subsequent Group winner and multiple stakes placegetter Midnight Edition (NZ) (Wrote) at Pukekohe last March. He was then a close fourth in the Group Three Championship Stakes (2100m) behind Kiwi Skyhawk (NZ) (Contributer), Zormella (NZ) (Almanzor) and Roctave (NZ) (Roc De Cambes).

That promising form has continued into Atmospheric’s four-year-old season, culminating in a Rating 75 victory at Ellerslie earlier this month where the runner-up was subsequent Group Three Easter Handicap (1600m) second placegetter Top Shelf (NZ) (Savabeel). Friday was Atmospheric’s day.

The Anzac 1600 was Atmospherics’ first start for Kurtis Pertab, who has taken over the training of a number of talented horses for Cole.

Atmospheric has often been his own worst enemy with slow starts, and he did it again at Otaki on Friday. But this time he recovered quickly in the hands of jockey George Rooke and slid up into third place within the first 400 metres of the race.

Rooke pushed him forward to loom on the outside of the leader Riverplate (NZ) (Flying Artie) at the top of the straight, then asked him for full effort. Atmospheric kicked away and quickly put the result beyond any doubt, going on to beat the strong-finishing Freddie Time (NZ) (Time Test) by a length and three-quarters.

“He was away a bit slow, but it was a good ride, he was a lot handier than he tends to race,” Pertab said. 

“He is a horse that has always had a lot of ability and he rightfully gets his black-type success. 

“He can get through the ground, but he doesn’t like really wet ground, so I am not sure what we do with him after this, but we will just get him home and make a plan depending on how he pulls up. He has done the job anyway.”