Do You Just Soars to Six-Length Stakes Success

The connections of Do You Just (So You Think) have never doubted that they had an exciting talent on their hands, and the two-year-old colt more than lived up to that reputation with a blockbuster performance in Saturday’s $100,000 Listed Skycity Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie.

Carlaw Park offered Do You Just in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, where Wexford Stables bought him for $250,000. Raced by a syndicate headed by Waikato Stud, Do You Just has now had five starts for a win, a second and $65,275 in stakes, with the prospect of much more in store.

Do You Just has made a huge impression on his trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott at their Matamata base, but until Saturday, his best raceday performance was a close second over 1100 metres at Te Rapa on April 13. That all changed in the Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie.

Given a perfect front-running ride by Warren Kennedy, Do You Just led every step of the way and controlled the race from the front. He began to pull away from his six rivals coming up to the home turn, then produced a kick that none of them could match in the straight.

Do You Just powered clear to score a super-impressive win, opening up a winning margin of six and a half lengths.

“Big congratulations to Waikato Stud, who came in with us at the yearling sales and own most of this horse,” O’Sullivan said.

“We’ve actually been surprised that he hadn’t produced any performances like that before today. He’s shown enough at home all season for us to expect him to be very competitive in this sort of company.

“We decided to go forward with him today, get him into a good rhythm, and it was great to see him gallop out so strongly down the straight.”

The ownership group also includes O’Sullivan’s daughter Caitlin O’Sullivan Doyle, along with her husband Tom Doyle.

“Mark Chittick is the majority owner, followed by Dad, while Tom and I are the esteemed one-percenters,” O’Sullivan Doyle said. “But it doesn’t really matter what percentage you have – the excitement is the same.

“It was a real thrill today. We’ve always really loved this horse the whole way through, so it’s awesome to see him do it on the track.”

Saturday’s powerhouse performance made a big impression on Kennedy.

“When I first rode this horse, I put him behind horses and he was very raw and erratic,” he said. “He’s been over-racing and just hasn’t been using himself the way he should.

“I was happy to go forward and lead today, let him use his action, and he showed what he can do when he extends off that. That was a dominant performance by a horse that still has a lot of improvement to come.

“I think he’s a really smart horse. He’s just got to learn his trade. He’s still very raw and has a few rocks in his head. Once we do a bit more work with him and put some cement there, I think he’ll be very good.”

Karaka graduates filled the trifecta in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes. Runner-up Towering Vision (NZ) (Circus Maximus) was a $105,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2024 and has now earned $71,880 from a four-start career that has produced two wins and two placings. The third-placed Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan) cost $165,000 in Book 2 of Karaka 2024 and has had eight starts for a win, four placings and $70,725.

Vendor	Carlaw Park
Purchaser	Wexford Stables (Waikato)
Breeding	So You Think – Estijmaam
Sale	Lot 51, Karaka 2024 Book 1, $250,000
Breeder	Chesapeake Thoroughbreds, Newton Thoroughbreds
Owner	T Doyle, Forest Partnership, C O'Sullivan & Waikato Stud Ltd