Group One Oaks Triumph for Pulchritudinous (NZ) and Riverrock Farm

The Chad Ormsby-trained Pulchritudinous added a superb victory in Saturday’s $500,000 Group One Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham to her last-start win in the Group Two Lowland Stakes (2000m) on Friday of the previous week.

Ormsby bought Pulchritudinous for $32,500 from the Book 2 draft of breeder Milan Park at Karaka 2022. The filly was offered under Ormsby’s Riverrock Farm banner at the Ready to Run Sale later that year, but failed to meet her $50,000 reserve. She has now had seven starts for three wins, a placing and $389,205 in stakes.

Pulchritudinous showed promise in the spring with a maiden win in her second career start, but the step beyond 1600 metres for the Lowland and Oaks proved to be career-defining. She overpowered her Lowland opponents at Taupo, then headed to Trentham on Saturday and raised the bar again.

Ridden by Warren Kennedy, Pulchritudinous enjoyed a comfortable run in midfield along the rail before angling out and beginning to move closer as the field made its way down the side of the big Trentham track.

Pulchritudinous loomed out wide at the home turn, then lengthened stride powerfully down the straight to kick away from Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor) and Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor) for an emphatic victory by a length and three-quarters.

“Things like a Group One win are what we strive for,” Ormsby said. “I really can’t thank my team enough. The people on the ground make it all possible. We’re only a small team, around five racehorses, but we bat above our weight and I’m so grateful to the people around us.

“A lot of pride and joy goes into a filly like this, who we bought cheaply and ended up not being able to sell. She’s managed to go on and prove herself.

“We nominated her for the Oaks very early and always had hope. We thought there might be some concerns around whether we might get there or if it might come up a bit too soon for her, but the ability was always there. I’m really, really rapt.”