Listed Success for Rainbow Dash

Bought from Book 3 for just $14,000, quality filly Rainbow Dash (NZ) (Showcasing) added a valuable black-type win to her CV in Saturday’s $50,000 Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1100m) at Te Rapa.

The bay filly is trained by Jenna Mahoney, who shares ownership with the Murray Bloodstock Partnership and Geoff Wolfe.

Before Saturday, she had recorded two wins and two placings from her five appearances. She was beaten by a nose when second in the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) in February, and her only time further back than second was a close sixth in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie.

Saturday’s feature race at Te Rapa delivered the black-type win the team was looking for.

After moving forward from a wide gate in search of the early lead, jockey Kelly McCulloch was happy to ease back into third position when Ramazzotti (NZ) (Per Incanto) and Whiskey Neat (Denman) showed plenty of early speed.

But Rainbow Dash quickened in the straight and finished over the top of that pair, crossing the finish line half a length ahead of Whiskey Neat. Ramazzotti was the same margin away in third.

“The plan was to go forward, but she just didn’t quite have enough speed to clear the ones who were drawn inside her,” McCulloch said. “She got into a nice rhythm after that, and then she fought like a tiger.

“She’s been ultra-consistent, and now she’s won a black-type race, so that’s awesome.”

Rainbow Dash has now had six starts for three wins and two seconds, earning $77,500 – more than five times her purchase price.

It was Mahoney’s first black-type training success.

“She’s got a lot of positive about her,” Mahoney said. “She’s only small, but she tries really hard.

“We missed a couple of races in January because of a small issue with a foot, so we decided to keep her in training a bit longer to have a go at this race and try to get some black type. It’s paid off.”

Runner-up Whiskey Neat was bought for $220,000 in Book 1. A winner of the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) earlier in the season, he has earned $81,060 so far in his four-start career.