Kiwis to Fore at Flemington
5 November 2007
On what most racing purists call the greatest day of racing in the Southern Hemisphere, Derby Day at Flemington, New Zealand bred horses came to the fore, winning five of the ten races on the day.
With every race carrying black type, the Kiwis made up just 19% of the runners and punched well above their weight to provide 50% of the winning horses.
Displaying versatility and scope, they won over distances from 1200 metres to 2500 metres, the headline act being Group 1 AAMI Derby (2500m) winner Kibbutz (Golan x Misskap by Kaapstad). Aided by the formidable David Hayes and Craig Williams duo he followed in the hoof-prints of last year's winner, Karaka Premier Sale graduate, Efficient (Zabeel x Refused the Dance by Defensive Play). Ever the consummate professional, he drew away to win by one-and-a-half lengths to become the seventh New Zealand-bred winner of the last 11 Victorian Derbies.
Bred by Laurence Redshaw, he is the first Group 1 winner for Windsor Park shuttle sire, Golan and the first stakes-winner from the unraced Kaapstad mare, Misskap.
During his racing career Golan, a dual Group 1 winning son of Spectrum, won the English Two Thousand Guineas and the Diamond Stakes. Eleven of his progeny will go under the hammer at the up-coming Ready to Run Sale at Karaka on 20 & 21 November including Lot 104, a half-brother to recent Group 3 Champagne Stakes and MRC One Thousand Guineas third-placegetter Antarctic Miss (Ustinov).
In the support card the three-year-old gelding Zacroona (Zabeel x Singalong by Danasinga), produced his second win in just his third race-day start, winning the Group 3 Inglis Carbine Club Classic (1600m) by one-and-a-quarter lengths. Ridden by Nash Rawiller, trainer Rodney Douglas now has the Sandown Guineas on his agenda for the promising galloper. He is from the 2000-2001 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year, Singalong and fetched NZ$450,000 to the bid of Robert Rolston Bloodstock from the Cambridge Stud draft at the 2006 Karaka Premier Sale.
Next up, the Peter McKenzie owned and trained Sculptor (His Royal Highness x Betelgeuse by Full Out) took out the Group 3 Saab Quality (2500m), a long neck ahead of fellow New Zealand-bred The Fuzz (Danasinga x Drama Queen by Prince of Praise). Both horses' performances secured their places in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, in which six New Zealand-breds will take the line.
Sculptor will look to replicate the deeds of fellow New Zealand-bred, Brew (Sir Tristram x Horlicks) who was the last horse to capture the Saab on the road to Melbourne Cup glory in 2002. The five-year-old entire, who has drawn barrier eight, is already proven over the Cup distance after a game third in this year's Brisbane Cup and will be ridden again by Lisa Cropp.
Former Kiwi galloper The Fuzz, who now races from the David Hayes stable, will start from barrier 11 and, as he was on Saturday, will be ridden by Craig Williams.
Karaka Premier Sale graduate Zarita (Pentire x Gin Player by Defensive Play) produced her third career win in taking out the Group 2 Longines Wakeful Stakes (2000m). Greg Childs rode the three-year-old for trainer Pat Hyland. A half-sister to promising Hong Kong galloper, Joy and Fun (Cullen), Zarita now looks to the VRC Crown Oaks on Thursday. Pendant Equine Services bid to NZ$195,000 to secure the filly from the draft of Rich Hill Stud, who stand her sire Pentire.
Swick (O'Reilly x Crme Anglaise) rounded off the successful day in the ninth, manoeuvring through the field to win the Group 2 Seppelt Salinger Stakes (1200m) to give trainer Bart Cummings his second winner on the day. Ridden by James Winks, he greeted the judge almost a length ahead of his opponents. Cummings purchased him for NZ$100,000 at the 2003 Karaka Premier Sale from Chittick family's Waikato Stud draft.
His win highlighted the versatility of Waikato Stud's sire, O'Reilly, who is the sire of Melbourne Cup favourite and Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly.