Half-Brother to Emerald Queen at Karaka 2015

O’Reilly five-year-old Emerald Queen (NZ) (O’Reilly) secured her third stakes win on Sunday in the Listed $50,000 “Thank You Coupland’s Bakeries” Timaru Cup (1600m) at South Canterbury Racecourse.

Emerald Queen (NZ) wins the Listed "Thank You Coupland's Bakeries" Timaru Cup. Photo courtesy of Race Images Christchurch.

A half-brother by new sire Redwood to Emerald Queen is entered in the 2015 Karaka Premier Sale at Lot 163 from Valachi Downs.

Trained by Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong, Emerald Queen began her racing career as a three-year-old, breaking her maiden and claiming her first stakes win simultaneously in her second start in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes. Her second claim to fame was the Listed Valachi Downs South Island Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes earlier this year.

“That’s more like it as Rosie rode her an absolute treat and she showed her true class today,” commented co-trainer Anna Furlong.

“She is probably best ridden back like that where she can come at them with one run.

“Although she was back a little further than we would have liked Rosie knew what she was doing and in the end she did it quite comfortably.”

In the early stages of the race Emerald Queen fell to the back of the field. This did not deter rider Rosie Myers as she took a gap as they turned for home. Coming from last to first, the pair swept past Captain Todd (NZ) (Captain Rio) and My Chino (NZ) (My Halo) to take victory by two lengths. Captain Todd finished in second place with My Chino close behind in third position.

With 25 starts in her two-years of racing, Emerald Queen has seven wins and has earned a total of $194,715 for owners W Bell, R Cocks, K Hickman, M Mene and B Roberts.

The daughter of O’Reilly was offered at the 2011 Karaka Select Sale by Valachi Downs.

Bred by Kevin Hickman, Emerald Queen is out of unraced mare Scarlet Queen (Fasliyev). She is a half-sister to Red Shift (Lucky Unicorn) who has had two wins to date and placed third in the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes.