Karaka Sale-Topper Goes the Extra Mile
30 April 2007
Karaka Ready to Run Sale graduate Able One (Cape Cross x Gardenia) justified his sale-topping status with an all-the-way win in the prestigious HK$8 Million Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday night.
The top priced lot at the 2004 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, Able One was bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan and sold at Karaka as a yearling before being offered as a two-year-old by respected Ready to Run Sale vendor Phoenix Park. There he was purchased by local bloodstock agent Paul Beamish for NZ$270,000.
A wide barrier draw saw the four-year-old assuming the lead within the first furlong. He and Irish jockey Mick Kinane dictated the pace to leave the rest of the field in their wake down the home straight.
In a fabulous result for trainer John Moore, Able One's stablemate, Joyful Winner, was one-and-a-quarter-lengths behind in second with Karaka Premier Sale and Hong Kong Jockey Club International Sale graduate The Duke (Danehill x Mer du Sud) a half-neck away in third.
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�NZB�graduate Able One (Cape Cross x Gardenia) after his Gr. 1 Hong Kong Champions Mile Victory. |
Able One won his first race as an early three-year-old in Sydney, before transferring to Hong Kong where yesterday's win was his fourth from ten starts there. He has now amassed over HK$7m in stake-money for owners Dr and Mrs Comel Li Fook Kwan, whose horses all carry the "Able" prefix.
Able One's yearling half-brother by Stravinsky was bought at this year's Karaka Premier Sale for NZ$60,000 by Joe Barnes' J & I Bloodstock Limited.
It was a memorable day for the Moore-Kinane combination who claimed the spoils in the following race, the HK$8 Group 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup (2000m). Viva Pataca emerged from the pack half-way down the straight to win by one-and-three-quarter lengths from the Karaka Premier Sale graduate, Vengeance of Rain (Zabeel x Danelagh), who fought on strongly to hold onto second place, just a short ahead of Admire Moon in third. Vengeance of Rain and Admire Moon recently hit headlines when winning their respective last starts at the prestigious Dubai International Meeting.
Earlier in the day the Paul O'Sullivan-trained Medic Power (Bertolini x Quintessence), ridden by regular hoop Brett Prebble, scored his fifth win in a row in the HK$1m Class 2 Audemars Piguet Dream Handicap (1200m). Boosting his earnings to over HK$2m in prize money, the three-year-old gelding's win helped bridge the gap between Trainer's Premiership leader Casper Fownes and O'Sullivan to just four.
In a timely fillip for the upcoming Karaka Sale, Medic Power was pinhooked as a weanling from New Zealand Bloodstock's 2004 National Weanling & Broodmare Sale by Kirkwall Thoroughbreds from Rich Hill Stud for NZ$15,000. He was later sold at the 2005 Karaka Select Sale to Lance O'Sullivan for NZ$45,000.
Other runners flying the flag for New Zealand bred horses on the day included Lucky Me (Chief Bearhart x Frizzle) in the HK$750,000 Audemars Piguet Millenary Handipcap (1600m) and a quinella in the $HK1m Class 2 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Handicap (1600m) with Egyptian Ra (Woodborough x Egyptian Queen) two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Maverick Star (Desert King x Cenphic).
The 2007 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale at is set to commence at 11am, Sunday 6 May, and will be followed by the Bloomsbury Stud (NZ) Dispersal Sale on Monday 7 May, at 1pm.