Incandescent (NZ) Impresses in Champagne Stakes

Karaka 2025 produced its eighth individual two-year-old stakes winner when Incandescent (NZ) (Per Incanto) stamped his class on the $100,000 Listed Cloudsoft Accounting Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Incandescent was a $200,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2025, where he was offered by his breeders Little Avondale Stud. His promising seven-race career has now produced two wins, three placings and $109,915 in prize-money.

The other stakes-winning Karaka 2025 graduates this season have been Torture (NZ) (Sword Of State), De Armas (NZ) (Ardrossan), Kinnaird (Home Affairs), Dream Roca (NZ) (El Roca), Satono Glow (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), Blind Raise (NZ) (Ace High) and Enchantment (NZ) (Hello Youmzain).

The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Incandescent showed plenty of early promise with a debut victory over 1100 metres at Ellerslie on November 29. He then finished fourth in the Group Two Eclipse Stakes (1200m) on New Year’s Day before being sent to the paddock for a mid-season freshen-up.

Incandescent returned to action with third placings at Wanganui on February 22 and Pukekohe on March 20, then ran fifth in the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on April 18 and a strong-finishing second in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa on May 2.

Increasing distances appeared to be bringing improved performances out of Incandescent, and that continued on Saturday in New Zealand’s only 1600-metre stakes race for two-year-olds.

Jockey Joe Doyle had Incandescent perfectly placed among the small five-horse field, settling in third spot and one off the rail.

Doyle angled Incandescent to the outside of the leaders at the top of the straight and he lengthened stride impressively to draw up alongside them. Grocer’s Girl (NZ) (Tarzino) fought back and made him work for his victory, but Incandescent slowly but surely got the better of her and had his head in front at the finish line. Another Karaka 2025 graduate, the $15,000 Book 2 purchase Bella Bonita (NZ) (Noverre), made a big late run into third.

“Roger said to ride him where he relaxes,” Doyle said. “They went quick early and I just allowed him to get into a nice rhythm. He came good turning in and battled hard to the line.

“Next season he is going to be a really fun horse. He will probably turn up to the big meetings and have a crack for the big money.”

Saturday’s stakes-winning performance came as little surprise to James.

“I was confident after his work on Tuesday morning, his work was very good,” the Cambridge trainer said. “It is probably a bit unusual for a Per Incanto two-year-old to be winning over a mile, but I was still confident that he would acquit himself well.

“I thought Joe Doyle summed it up really well. They slowed them up a little bit mid-race and he was a little bit strong for a few strides, but all credit to the horse – he is learning as he goes and he came back to him when he needed to and gave him the energy to find the line.”

The Champagne Stakes has been a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the three-year-old seasons of previous winners like Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood), Quick Thinker (So You Think) and Lion Tamer (NZ) (Storming Home) in the last 20 years, and James believes the best is yet to come for Incandescent too.

“When you looked at him in the parade, you could see he is still a little immature,” he said. “This will be his last run. He will come back stronger.”

Vendor	Little Avondale Stud
Purchaser	TAB Racing Club (Auckland)
Breeding	Per Incanto – Saint Katarina
Sale	Lot 263, Karaka 2025 Book 1, $200,000
Breeder	Little Avondale Trust
Owner	MyRacehorse No.1 & Ridgeport Holdings