Fillies Top Karaka Million Order
22 December 2008
Eight fillies make up the top ten two-year-olds in the Karaka Million Order of Entry, including Optimizing and Mexican Rose who pushed their way into second and seventh position respectively after both won over the weekend.
Optimizing (Exceed and Excel - Joan's Best, by Gold Brose) won her first race in Adelaide, the SAJC Nilsen SAP (1000m), for trainer David Hayes. The win by the daughter of multiple stakes winner Joan's Best brought her earnings to A$23,800 and third place in the Karaka Million Order of Entry.
Earlier on Saturday at Manawatu, Mexican Rose (Volksraad - Down View, by Gone West) showed a whole heap of class when leading all the way in the New Zealand Bloodstock 2YO Handicap (1100m). The race featured six two-year-olds eligible for the $1,000,000 feature on the 25 January, but it was the bay filly by Volksraad that dominated proceedings, winning by half a length from a very game Seven Schillings (O'Reilly - Landon, by Shannon).
The debut win gave the Bruce Wallace trained filly $12,500 to take her to seventh position on the latest Order of Entry. The well bred filly is by six-time NZ champion sire and renowned 2YO sire Volksraad (Green Desert), while her dam sires include Gone West, Dayjur, and Mill Reef.
Currently heading the Karaka Million list is Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan's Katie Lee (Pins - Miss Jessie Jay, by Spectacularphantom) who has placed twice in two-year-old stakes races this season and is set to contest the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes on January 1 before hoping to take up her place in the Karaka Million line up.
The rest of the current top ten include five other fillies: Brazilian Princess (Captain Rio), Ransom Success (Red Ransom), Dawned (One Cool Cat), Rachine (Pins), and Bewitch (Bachelor Duke). The two remaining are colts Winter King (One Cool Cat) and Sarge in Charge (Golan).
The complexion of the race will change markedly between now and the 25 January feature with sixteen NZ two-year-old races yet to be contested before then.
Click here to see current Order of Entry.
Both Features to Karaka Graduates
Karaka graduates won both Group races in New Zealand contested over the weekend.
Jonbalena (Lord Ballina - Desdemona, by Truly Vain) made it two feature race wins for Karaka Ready to Run graduates - following Revolte's (French Deputy) win in Singapore - when he looked good winning the Group 3 Manawatu Cup (2300m).
The son of Lord Ballina (Bletchingly) always looked like a Cups horse in the making and that has proved to be correct winning both the Fielding Cup and the Manawatu Cup in his last three starts.
The $60,000 purchase, trained by Lisa Latta, has won $207,125 to date for owners Ray and Judy Stevens. Ray and Judy have been huge supporters of the Karaka Ready to Run Sale over the past few years including a $70,000 Postponed - Diana Ferrari colt (click here to view breeze-up) from Mission Lodge in 2008, the vendor who sold them Jonbalena.
Il Quello Veloce (Captain Rio - Nishaani, by Gold Brose), a Karaka Million contender last season and second placed in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas this season, was triumphant in the Group 3 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m).
The Group 1 winning two-year-old has not lost any of her class, cleaning up a field of seven rivals in the hands of Noel Harris. Owned by the Flying Fillies Syndicate and trained by John Sargent, the filly was bred and sold by Westbury Stud at the 2007 Select Sale for $50,000.
Westbury Stud will offer a full brother to Il Quello Veloce at Karaka 2009 Premier Sale, at Lot 151.
Russell Warwick of Westbury Stud expects a lot of interest in the colt. " He is in the similar mould to his sister, a filly who was outstanding at two and has carried that on into her three-year-old year."