Great Season Start for NZB Graduates

A weekend of great racing, both in Australasia and Asia, saw a number of New Zealand Bloodstock graduates kick off the season with group and listed race wins.

Sheka (NZ) (Sandtrap x Lynsu) won her third listed event when she cruised to victory in the Waikato Stud Stakes 1200m at Wanganui. The smart John Sargeant-trained filly tasted black type victory twice as a two-year-old as well as finishing second in another two listed events.

She was sold for $2500 at the 2003 New Zealand Bloodstock Festival Sale by Java Lodge. Brian and Todd Bidois' Bloodstock company purchased the filly.

Later in the day National Weanling and Broodmare Sale graduate, Sista (NZ) (Magic Of Sydney x Blister) beat a field of colts and geldings to take the listed $35,000 Wanganui Guineas. The filly was sold as a weanling by Grand Vue Lodge for $1000 to Grant McLeod who now races the filly.

Across the Tasman at Warwick Farm, Group 1 Flight Stakes winner, Unearthly (NZ) (Zabeel x Snippet's Crown) picked up the winning stake in the $175,000, Group 2 Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes, 1600m.

Fellow New Zealand-bred So Assertive (Zabeel x Assertive Lass) led for most of the race but was unable to hold out the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale graduate when they reached the line. Unearthly was sold by Jeanette Broome for $360,000 to bloodstock agent James Bester.

In Hong Kong two New Zealand Bloodstock graduates took the quinella in the premier race of the day at Sha Tin, the HK-1 HKSAR Chief Executives Cup. The Duke (AUS) (Danehill x Mer Du Sur), a 2001 Premier Sale graduate, made a huge run from the back of the field to beat race favourite Town Of Fion (NZ) (Snippets x Ballyfin), a 2002 Ready to Run Sales graduate. The Duke was sold by Trelawney Stud for $200,000 and was purchased by New Zealand Bloodstock as agent. Town Of Fion, who had an unlucky run, being kept three wide throughout was purchased by Michael Stedman Bloodstock for $50,000 from Lyndhurst Farms.