Cauthen (NZ) Stamps his Class in Melbourne

The highly promising Kiwi three-year-old Cauthen (NZ)(Darci Brahma) scored an impressive one-and-a-half-length victory in the Listed A$121,000 Essendon Nissan McKenzie Stakes over 1200m at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Cauthen (NZ) winning the Listed Essendon Nissan McKenzie Stakes at Monee Valley.

The son of Darci Brahma was a dominating eight-and-a-half-length winner at his debut on 3 July at Te Rapa before trainer Andrew Campbell embarked on an Australian campaign. Cauthen ran second at his first start in Melbourne, also at Moonee Valley, to one of his race rivals on Saturday Clevadude.

Ridden by Australian based New Zealand jockey James McDonald, Cauthen missed the start slightly but improved quickly to be travelling in fourth spot during the running.

McDonald hooked his mount out three wide as the field came around the final corner and once balanced up, the Karaka Select Sale graduate unleashed a devastating sprint that left the field in his wake as he ran to the line in a time of 1.10.85.

“We are over the moon,” commented Andrew Campbell. “He is still doing a couple of things wrong like jumping up at the start and running a bit greenly but it is only his third start so he will improve but we are pretty happy with the horse.”

The Opaki based galloper has given Campbell a good impression from very early on and bigger assignments are programmed this spring.

“He is just a ripper, you couldn’t get a nicer looking horse. He is big, strong and a really tidy horse.

“Virtually from the day we gave him his first couple of gallops we thought we had something special on our hands.

“We will line him up in two weeks’ time in the Henry Bucks Stakes then the Caulfield Guineas Prelude before heading to the Caulfield Guineas,” said Campbell.

The Group 1 A$1 million Caulfield Guineas will be run on 12 October with Cauthen also holding a nomination for the Group 1 Cox Plate two weeks later.

Darci Brahma continues to produce an abundance of winners with Cauthen becoming his 11 stakes winner. The Oaks Stud resident sire also sired the winner of the feature flat race in New Zealand on Saturday with One Above scoring a decisive win in the $50,000 ITM Interprovincial Challenge at New Plymouth.

Cauthen is the sixth winner for his dam Minori Express and her first stakes winner. His second dam is the stakes placed Flying Lark and the family has produced well-known black-type winners Slanchyvah (Kaapstad), Dreamworks (Maroof), Grey Song (Unbridled’s Song) and Show No Emotion (Masterclass) among a number of others.

The half-brother to Cauthen by Road to Rock will be offered at the 2013 Ready to Run Sale through the draft of Diamond Lodge.

Bred by Wentwood Grange’s Llanhennock Trust, Cauthen is raced by J A Barnao, M Climo, N J Cruickshank, T G Heptinstall, T M Pivac, D R & W R Platt and W C Webb and carries the same colours as another good galloper, Andrew Campbell trained multiple Group 1 winner, Tavistock.

Cauthen was an $85,000 purchase from the draft of Wentwood Grange at the 2012 Karaka Select Sale and has now earned connections A$87,400 from his three starts that has yielded two wins and a second placing.