Festivity (NZ) Flies to Valuable Listed Win

Karaka graduate Festivity (NZ) (I Am Invincible) added another dimension to an already valuable pedigree page with her first black-type victory in the $80,000 Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. 

By super-sire I Am Invincible out of a stakes-placed mare, and closely related to Group One performer Invincible Star (I Am Invincible), Festivity was a $410,000 purchase by Te Akau’s David Ellis from Book 1 of Karaka 2018.

Festivity has always shown an abundance of talent for Te Akau Racing and trainer Jamie Richards, scoring five early victories before commendable performances to finish a close fifth in the Group Three Concorde Handicap (1200m), fourth in the Group Three King’s Plate (1200m) and sixth in the Group Two Foxbridge Plate (1200m).

But Sunday was the win that mattered most, rocketing out of the pack and outfinishing her stablemate Vamos Bebe (I Am Invincible) to score by a short neck. The rest of the field finished two lengths behind the first pair.

“She ended up getting in a lovely spot, although they didn’t go overly fast,” Richards said. “She started overdoing it a little, but followed Vamos Bebe everywhere she went and had the last laugh.

“She is a good-quality mare who had no luck in the spring. I was disappointed with the way things went, so we put her out and gave her a couple of trials as we started again. This has been her target for a little while.”

Festivity has now had 12 starts for six wins, a placing and $136,600 in stakes, with the promise of much more still to come.

“It was great to see her get some black type today, because she is part of a breeding syndicate that Dave (Ellis) put together after he bought her at Karaka,” Richards said.

“We will get her home and take a look at her for a couple of days. She is still in the Railway (Group One, 1200m) here on New Year’s Day. Whether she runs there or not I’m not entirely sure, but there is also the Telegraph (Group One, 1200m) and some other black-type races that we can have a think about.”