First Stakes Success for Speedy Johny Johny (NZ)

The $60,000 Listed Power Turf Sprint (1200m) has a knack for unearthing exciting sprinting talent, none more so than last year’s winner Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto), and victory in the 2022 edition at Hastings on Saturday could put another Karaka graduate on a path towards bigger and better things. 

Johny Johny (NZ) (Charm Spirit) was offered at Karaka 2019 and bought for just $12,500 at the Ready to Run Sale later that year. His eight-start career has now produced five wins and $95,150 in stakes, with the promise of much more to come.

Saturday’s sprint feature was his first success at stakes level, showing explosive speed from the outset and leading all the way.

Johny Johny kicked clear at the top of the straight for jockey Darryl Bradley, then stuck to his task strongly through the final 200 metres to beat the fast-finishing Gospodin (NZ) (Proisir) by half a length.

Johny Johny is trained by the Cambridge combination of Tim and Margaret Carter, who also share ownership with their son, New Zealand Bloodstock auctioneer Morgan.

“He just has speed to burn, so the instructions to Darryl were to go to the front and rate him from there,” Margaret Carter told NZ Racing Desk.

“The track had dried out a fair bit during the day, and that suited him – last time at Tauranga it was just too wet for him.

“He has been a hard horse to train and just needs to strengthen up further, so we think he will be at his best in his next campaign.

“He’s bred more like a middle-distance horse, and his full-brother Kirwans Lane (NZ) (Charm Spirit) races over a mile in Sydney, but this guy is all about speed.

“He doesn’t cope with wet tracks, so it’s likely we are going to tip him out now and let him have a breather before we get him ready for next season.”

Johny Johny was bred by Christopher Grace, and the exciting sprinter’s dam Galway (NZ) (Savabeel) is a full-sister to Group One winner Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel), Group Two winner Tullamore (NZ) (Savabeel) and Listed winner Grazia (NZ) (Savabeel).

Karaka graduates have a proud record in this Listed feature at Hastings, now winning it on six consecutive occasions, with Johny Johny joining Roch ‘N Horse, Princess Kereru (NZ) (Pins), Indecision (NZ) (Per Incanto), Bonniegirl (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Passing Shot (NZ) (Swiss Ace).

Roch ‘N’ Horse, who was passed in at Karaka 2018, went on to triumph in the A$1.5m Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington last month.

Vendor	Karaka 2019: Little Avondale Stud 2019 Ready to Run Sale: Surrey Farm
Purchaser	2019 Ready to Run Sale: MCLA Group (NZ) (Waikato)
Breeding	Charm Spirit – Galway
Sale	Lot 54, Karaka 2019, Psd (Res $50,000) Lot 390, 2019 Ready to Run Sale, $12,500
Bred by	C R Grace