Deserved Mega Maiden Reward for Princess Elsa (NZ)

Competition was fierce for the NZB Mega Maiden bonus at Avondale on Wednesday, with all of the first four finishers in the $18,500 NZB Mega Maiden Series (1200m) being Karaka Millions eligible. But in the end it was Princess Elsa (NZ) (Frosted) who had a well-deserved moment in the sun. 

Bought for $21,000 from the Book 2 draft of breeders Blandford Lodge at Karaka 2024, Princess Elsa has now had seven starts for a win, four placings and $27,170 in stakes. That amount grows when you factor in Wednesday’s Mega Maiden bonus of $20,000 for her owners and $5,000 for trainer Tony Pike.

Princess Elsa was a model of consistency as a two-year-old last season, placing in four of her six starts. That included a second at Wanganui, where she was beaten by a nose by Landlock (Merchant Navy), who went on to place at Group One level. Princess Elsa also finished a close fifth at Te Rapa in November, only three and a half lengths behind the subsequent $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and Group One Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) heroine La Dorada (NZ) (NZ) (Super Seth).

Sent out as a $3.10 favourite on Wednesday in her quest for an overdue maiden win, Princess Elsa was ridden by George Rooke and took up a handy position in third up until the home turn.

Rooke still had her under a firm hold coming into the straight and didn’t ask her for an effort until after the 300-metre mark. By that point Kairos (NZ) (Time Test) had swept up alongside her in a promising move, but Princess Elsa saw him coming and rose to meet his challenge.

They set down to fight a head-bobbing battle to the finish, which Princess Elsa won by a nose. There was another two and a quarter lengths back to the fellow Karaka Millions eligible runners, Gota Hunch (NZ) (Super Seth) and Kerbline (NZ) (Shocking), who finished third and fourth respectively.

“This was a deserved reward after the good form that she had in her last preparation,” Pike’s stable representative Mark Hills commented.

“It was a good, tough effort too. She raced three wide and facing the breeze for a lot of the race. George did the right thing, waiting until she got around the corner and then balancing her up. The other horse came up on the outside, but she was very willing and fought it out to get the win.”

Princess Elsa became the second horse to strike a Mega Maiden bonus this season, following on from Shameless Star (NZ) (Shamexpress) at Waverley on September 28.

This is the second season of the Mega Maiden Series, which is an exciting initiative that was announced last year by NZB and NZTR and generously supported by Entain. It sees $1m in bonuses up for grabs across 40 maiden races each season for a three-year period.

The series is made up of 40 non-Saturday maiden races located throughout New Zealand. A bonus of $25,000 is struck whenever a race is won by a Karaka Millions-eligible horse aged three years or older. The winning owner takes home $20,000 and the successful trainer $5,000. Last season saw bonuses paid out from Pukekohe in the north to Gore in the deep south.

 

Vendor	Blandford Lodge
Purchaser	Brewers Bloodstock (Auckland)
Breeding	Frosted – Society Lady
Sale	Lot 972, Karaka 2024 Book 2, $21,000
Breeder	Mrs A M & J F Bruford, G M & Mrs J E Datson, C A Leishman, Z Man, A W Pike, A Teng, Mrs W J O Williams & Est late C J Griffin
Owner	Mrs H G & W G Bax