Half-Brother to Irish Fling (NZ) at NZ RTR

Providing a timely boost to his sibling’s pedigree, the lightly tried Irish Fling (NZ) (Darci Brahma) was a comprehensive winner of the Listed $50,000 Yesberg Insurance Services Pegasus Stakes (1000m) on Saturday at Riccarton and will be represented by a half-brother at the upcoming NZB Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs.

Irish Fling (NZ) wins the Listed Yesberg Insurance Services Pegasus Stakes at Riccarton. Photo courtesy of Trish Dunell.

Catalogued as Lot 48, the half-brother to Irish Fling (ex. Irish Belle) is by dual hemisphere Group 1 winner Starcraft and will be offered by Kilgravin Lodge at the Sale commencing 19 & 20 November.

Trained at Hastings by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, Irish Fling was having her second start at stakes level following a sound fourth at her last start behind Historian (NZ) (Choisir) in the Group 3 Spring Sprint on the last day of Hawke’s Bay’s spring carnival.

The five-year-old mare settled near the rear in a compact seven-horse field over the 1000m sprint distance for top jockey Mark du Plessis.

Second favourite and Karaka graduate King Montrose (NZ) (King’s Chapel) hit the front with 300m with Irish Fling following that horse through the field, peeling off its back and sprinting over the top in the final 50m to land victory by 1.4 lengths.

“We were pretty confident heading into the race, she has improved a lot,” stated Lowry.

“She has had a few little problems that have all cleared up so we were quietly confident but you can never be too confident running in a good field like that.

“We put her in the paddock for a couple of weeks after Hastings and that worked well. She will go back to the paddock for a couple of weeks again now and we will head towards the Group 1 Telegraph Handicap.

“Her ideal distance is 1200m, she doesn’t sprint as well over 1400m.

“She has developed into a really nice mare. She is really, really strong through the girth and has a beautiful pedigree.”

Saturday’s victory was her fourth from only 13 starts and she has earned her owners, the Pak n Save Syndicate, $54,000 in prizemoney.

Bred by Mr T V Rider, Irish Fling is a daughter of the O’Reilly mare Irish Belle, a dual stakes placegetter in New Zealand.

Catalogues and Breeze Up clips are available online now along with the free iPad application. DVD copies (for PC and TV) can be ordered by contacting reception@nzb.co.nz. The Sale will commence on 19 & 20 November at the Karaka Sales Complex.