Kiwi Star Too Good in Underwood

Star New Zealand horse (It’s a) Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral) has burst the New Zealand Bloodstock Spring WFA Championship at Caulfield wide open with an upset victory in the Group 1 $400,000 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m) on Saturday.

(It's a) Dundeel (NZ) winning the Group 1 $400,000 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.

Coming into the weekend feature race the Series was jointly led by Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock) and Puissance de Lune (Sharmardal) following their wins in the first two legs of the Championship, the former starting a warm favourite for the race on the back of her unbeaten record.

Adding to the kiwi glory, champion sire Zabeel was damsire of the first three home in the race, asserting his damsire dominance early in the season following Broodmare Sire Championship wins on both sides of the Tasman for the past two seasons.

The Murray Baker trained (It’s a) Dundeel drew near the outside of the field in barrier 12 and was brilliantly ridden by Kiwi jockey James McDonald. In a move that is against the four-year-old’s usual pattern of racing, McDonald put (It’s a) Dundeel near the pace, sitting outside Altantic Jewel at the head of the field.

In the home straight the pair, who were the two best backed runners in the race, sat down to fight a tough battle to the line. In a titanic struggle it was the kiwi that got the best of his rival to take the race by a half-head margin, with Dear Demi (Dehere) in third.

“It was a good win, it was a good field, and two very good horses fought it out. It was a very exciting race,” commented Murray Baker.

“We are very happy with where he is. He enjoys being a racehorse and he is a competitive horse. He is franking that three-year-old form from Sydney.

“He will go to the Caulfield Stakes next then on to the Cox Plate.”

The star three-year-old of last season recorded his fifth win at Group 1 level after capturing the Sydney Three-Year-Old Triple Crown last autumn along with the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes last year. He has won nine of his 14 career starts and has earned $2,377,155 in prizemoney.

He is owned by large contingent of thrilled owners that include breeders Mrs JP and MM Andersen, with Mrs TP Anderson, MP Brown, GP Chaplow, AI, MJ, Mrs SS & Mrs WA Craig, D Focas, TJ Joyce, DC & Ms JE Morison & Tony Muollo.

(It’s a) Dundeel is out of the unraced Zabeel mare Stareel, a daughter of dual Group 1 winner Starring (Fiesta Star). Stareel has had five horses to race that have all won, with her previous best progeny being the stakes-placed Twoeezy (Keeper).

With his winning effort, the son of shuttle sire High Chaparral collects 10 points and moves to second on the NZB Spring WFA Championship Standings with 14 points, with Atlantic Jewel taking the outright lead on 18 points after collecting 8 points for her second placing.

Puissance de Lune collected an additional point for finishing in seventh position.

Attention now turns to the last leg of the Championship on 12 October with the running of the Group 1 $400,000 Cathay Pacific Caulfield Stakes.

To view the New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Spring WFA Championship leaderboard, click here.