Bona Sforza Brilliant on Debut in Welcome Stakes

Karaka graduate Bona Sforza (Written By) was thrown in at the deep end for a daunting debut in Saturday’s $80,000 Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes (1000m), but she rose to the occasion with a brilliant win.

Bona Sforza was offered by Highline Thoroughbreds in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, where her trainer and part-owner Samantha Finnegan bought her for $150,000. Saturday’s winning debut immediately earned back $46,000 of that amount along with valuable black type.

Despite a stylish trial win at Foxton on March 25, Bona Sforza was one of the outsiders of the Welcome Stakes field at $25. But after settling in fifth place for apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll, Bona Sforza produced a sparkling turn of foot in the straight. She bounded past the front-running favourite Zelia (Fierce Impact) and raced away to win by two and a half lengths.

Finnegan was represented at Riccarton on Saturday by her husband Francis, who also shares in the ownership of the exciting filly.

“We expected to be coming down here off the back of a win already, but the Tauherenikau races got called off when she was saddled up and ready to go,” he said.

“She had won a trial and a jumpout since, and Sam has always been a pretty good judge and she has had a great opinion of her.

“It’s hard to win any race on debut, let alone a stakes race. I’d like to say a big thanks to the other owners, because they have let us go and buy a nice filly, and hopefully she can progress from here.”

Finnegan identified the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at the same venue in November as a potential long-range target.

“The view was that, even if she could only place here on debut, we just wanted to get her here before November,” he said. “She has had a look around and hopefully we can get back here.”

Bona Sforza’s performance made a big impression on Lawson-Carroll.

“She is a really nice filly,” he said. “Mr Finnegan gave me a lot of confidence before the race, and you saw why.

“She got taken back a little bit at the start when she was between horses, but once the runs appeared in the straight, she burst through and hit the line well. They did say to me they were looking at the 1000 Guineas, so I said, ‘You’d better keep me on, then.’”

Vendor	Highline Thoroughbreds
Purchaser	Mrs S Finnegan (Manawatu-Whanganui)
Breeding	Written By – Thwayya
Sale	Lot 485, Karaka 2024 Book 1, $150,000
Breeder	Mr R Saini
Owner	F & S Finnegan, A Boyce, A & N Robertson, C, E & J Heron, F Freeman, R & T Costello, M O'Brien, A Hawkins, R McQuillan & T Hart