Blood Brotha Back to his Best

The Group 2 $200,000 Pacific Jewellers Wellington Cup (2400m) was won yesterday by the ever-consistent Blood Brotha, adding to a long list of distinguished family members raced by the Connors family.

Already the winner of two Group 2 New Zealand Cups, Blood Brotha (Danzighill x Laura Dee) is from the family of King Johny (Seasoned Star), runner-up in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby, and Our Jonty (Random Chance) who won the gruelling Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie, all three being raced by Mark and Raymond Connors.

After being ridden positively from the barrier by jockey Lisa Allpress, Blood Brotha was stuck out three wide leaving the straight, but managed to cross over and find the one out one back position after Dolmabache (Redoute’s Choice) took over in front. Once around the home corner he was always in the firing line and stuck gamely all the way to the line to win by a half head from Annie Higgins (O’Reilly).

“Lisa rode him positively and put him in the race, but we were probably more hopeful than confident going into the race,” commented trainer and part-owner Raymond Connors.

“The plan is the Auckland Cup and we know he runs out a strong two miles, so that’s definitely the plan at this stage,” stated Connors.

O’Fille (O’Reilly), the favourite for the race after winning last weekend’s Group 3 Trentham Stakes, was unlucky in the straight, never really gaining clear air to finish not fully tested behind the main division.

The win completed a clean sweep of the feature races on the last day of the Wellington Carnival by Karaka graduates with High Fashion (O’Reilly) winning the Group 3 Tiger Prawn Desert Gold Stakes and Historian (Choisir) winning the Group 1 Harcourts Thornton Mile ahead of Karaka 2013 which starts next Monday 28 January.

Blood Brotha is a graduate of the 2007 South Island Sale from the White Robe Lodge draft and has now returned over $500,000 to his owners.

White Robe Lodge will present five yearlings by their first season sire Raise the Flag (Saddler’s Wells) including Lot 1259 who is from a same family as Blood Brotha. To view their draft click here.

The Karaka Million Twilight meeting is on tonight with the first race set to start at 5:09pm. Don’t miss out on tickets to all the new Karaka Clubhouse which will be held for the first time on the Newmarket lawn and provides a fresh and thrilling experience at the Karaka Million. For more information, click here. For more information about Karaka 2013 contact NZB on +64 9 258 0055 or visit www.nzb.co.nz.