Karaka Mares Magic in Marton Cup

A pair of quality close relatives who both went through the Karaka sale ring stole the show at Awapuni on Saturday, fighting out a fantastic finish in the $60,000 Listed Japac Homes Marton Cup (2200m). 

The staying feature was won by Our Hail Mary (NZ) (Ocean Park), who was a $35,000 purchase from the 2017 Premier Sale and has now won eight of her 20 starts and $170,746 in stakes. Runner-up House Of Cartier (NZ) (Alamosa) was passed in at the same sale with a $250,000 reserve, and she has earned over $350,000 in her 38-start, five-win career.

Representing the New Plymouth stable of part-owner Allan Sharrock, Our Hail Mary is out of a full sister to the Sharrock-trained Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar), who won four Group One races in 2011 and 2012. Shez Sinsational is herself now the dam of two stakes winners – Sinarahma (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Saturday’s second placegetter, House Of Cartier.

Our Hail Mary settled in fourth place during Saturday’s Marton Cup, with House Of Cartier sitting just behind her in fifth. The pair began to warm up coming down the side of the track, setting their sights on the front-running Sagunto (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Sir Nate (NZ) (Nadeem).

Our Hail Mary appeared to be under pressure at the home turn, with House Of Cartier clearly travelling the better of the two. But Our Hail Mary bravely responded to the urgings of jockey Johnathan Parkes and kept lifting all of the way down the Awapuni straight.

The two mares strode to the front together inside the last 100 metres, with Our Hail Mary outfighting House Of Cartier through the final few strides and holding her out by a long neck. It was a second black-type win for the six-year-old mare, who had previously won the Group Three Trentham Stakes (2100m) last January.

“That was a very gutsy win,” Sharrock told NZ Racing Desk on Saturday. “It’s terrific for her pedigree page when she finally goes to the broodmare paddock.

“She is out of a full-sister to our good mare Shez Sinsational, so there is some real residual value for her, now she has that additional black type to her name. Interestingly enough, the runner-up is out of Shez Sinsational, so it was a real family result to the race.

“It was a tenacious effort by the mare, aided by a superb ride from Parkesy. I told him she would probably hit a flat spot somewhere in the race and to try and just ride through it. She wasn’t really going any good around the turn, but he never gave up and really lifted her to victory.

“She can go to the Auckland Cup (3200m) now.”

The $500,000 Group Two Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup will be run at Ellerslie on March 13.