Karaka Quinella in Wanganui Feature

Saturday’s $80,000 Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m) at Wanganui was fought out by a pair of quality performers who were both purchased from the Karaka sale ring.

The race was won by Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo), who was bought by trainer Lisa Latta for just $28,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2020. He has now won nine of his 36 starts, including three at black-type level, for total earnings of $330,052 – almost 12 times his purchase price.

Second placegetter Bradman (NZ) (Pins) was an $85,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2019. His 48-race career has produced eight wins, 19 placings and $272,567 in stakes. He won the Listed Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham earlier this year.

This has been a breakthrough season for Belardo Boy, who collected his first two wins at black-type level in the Group Three Winter Cup (1600m) and Group Three Metric Mile (1600m) in August and September respectively. He later placed in the Group Two Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m).

On Saturday he settled well back in the field for jockey Joe Doyle before saving ground closer to the inside around the final turn and picking up impressively in the straight.

Bradman took command and opened up a clear advantage, but Belardo Boy sprinted through on his inside and joined him with 100 metres to go. Although Bradman rose to meet the challenge, Belardo Boy finished too strongly and edged him out by a long neck.

“He’s probably my favourite horse in the country and I’ve won quite a few on him now,” Doyle said. “He’s not a straightforward ride, but when he really lets down, it takes a fair horse to beat him on that sort of surface.

“He could have a really, really good winter and he feels as good as I’ve ever felt on him.”

Latta was pleased to see Belardo Boy back in top form, and the Awapuni trainer suggested that the Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) in early September could be a potential target.

“He was pretty fresh first-up and he can get up and pull when he’s like that and is not an easy horse to ride,” Latta said.

“I said to Joe it’s not the pattern of racing today, but just get him to relax, because I know he has a great turn of foot if you can get him to do that. When he got him relaxed, I knew he could finish it off.

“He is a stable favourite, so it’s good for the team to get the result. He is going to be hard to place in the handicaps now, so we will have to have a think about things. We were considering the Winter Cup again, but possibly not now, because he will get weighted out of it.

“I think he is up to good company. If we could get a track with the fire out, he might be a chance in the first of the big races at Hastings in the spring.”

Vendor	Haunui Farm
Purchaser	Lisa Latta Racing (Manawatu-Whanganui)
Breeding	Belardo – L’Amour
Sale	Lot 705, Karaka 2020 Book 2, $28,000
Bred by	J E Fokerd & Haunui Farm LP