Karaka Graduates Finish Carnival in Style

Fully Fledged and Sir Slick ran away with the Auckland Cup Week's final Group 1 honours on Saturday, capping a great week of racing for Karaka graduates, winning all four Group 1 races on offer over the carnival.

Fully Fledged (Align x Fledged by Bluebird) shrugged of any remnants of wayward behaviour to snare a stylish win in the Group 1 Ford Diamond Stakes (1200m). The Murray Baker trained two-year-old co-operated perfectly for jockey Leith Innes, surging up the inside rail to finish a long neck ahead of fellow Karaka graduates Raid (Pins x Vanilla Sky by O'Reilly) and Il Quello Veloce (Captain Rio x Nishaani by Gold Brose).

Both placegetters recently ran in the Karaka Million with the Stephen McKee trained filly, Raid, being runner-up and Il Quello Veloce managing an unlucky sixth in the country's richest juvenile event.

Fully Fledged has now returned over $130,000 in stakes to his connections on top of a $100,000 bonus cheque earned from his run last week where he was the first Karaka Carnival Sale graduate to cross the line in the New Zealand Bloodstock Carnival Sale Bonus 2YO.

He and Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce (1400m) winner, Nightlign, represent the two Group 1 winners by Highview Stud sire, Align, who is also the sire of stakes-winning fillies Everswindell and Out of Align. At the Highview Deplenishing Sale, to be held at the stud this Sunday (16 March), 13 of Align's progeny will go under the hammer.

Gordon Cunningham's Curraghmore Stud sold Fully Fledged at last year's Karaka Carnival Sale for $38,000 to Alistair Sutherland, who now shares in the ownership with Peter Walker and Tony Timpson.

Shortly afterwards, after being narrowly beaten in the race last year by Gaze, Sir Slick (Volksraad x Miss Opera by Paris Opera) turned the tables in the First Sovereign Trust New Zealand Stakes (2000m) to win by a neck. Having his 71st start, the win is his fifth at Group 1 level and takes his earnings to over $1.3 million.

Trainer Graeme Nicholson bid to $48,000 to purchase him from Mapperley Stud at the 2003 Karaka Select Sale, and races the six-year-old gelding with his friend Barry Brown. Sir Slick is booked to head to Hong Kong to contest the Group 1 QE II Cup in April then may carry on to Singapore for the Group 1 Singapore International Cup. Regular race-day rider Bruce Herd is booked to continue his association with the horse dubbed 'The People's Champion'.

Second in the race was former NZ Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year, Ombre Rose (O'Reilly x Lady Chanele by Citidancer), while Dezigna (Volksraad x Label Basher by Conquistarose) was third.

Karaka graduates won all four Group 1 races on offer over Auckland Cup week. Joining Fully Fledged and Sir Slick with Group 1 honours, Prize Lady (Prized x Pen Bal Lady by Mummy's Game), sold by Fayette Park Stud at the 2003 Select Filly Sale for $13,500, produced her second Auckland Cup victory last Wednesday, and Kevin Myers enjoyed Group 1 Mercedes New Zealand Derby victory with C'est la Guerre (Shinko King x La Magnifique by Kampala), a $16,000 Festival Sale graduate.