Mackintosh (NZ) Earns Group 1 Shot

$11,000 Karaka weanling purchase Mackintosh (NZ) (Pins) scored his sixth win from nine career starts on Saturday and earned himself a shot at an upcoming Group 1 feature.

Ridden by international star jockey Joao Moreira for champion trainer Chris Waller, Mackintosh raced in midfield in Saturday’s A$200,000 Task Retail Theo Marks Stakes over what was expected to be an unsuitably short 1300m. The exciting stayer took control in the straight and held on strongly to beat his stablemate Counterattack (Redoute’s Choice) by a half-neck.

“He’s gone to another level today, performing like that in a Group 2 field of good sprinters,” Waller said. “He’ll step up to a mile second up in the Epsom.”

The four-year-old made a good impression on his world-renowned rider.

“He’s still very green,” Moreira said. “He was hanging and shying away from the other horses. He’s done a lot of things wrong but he has got a lot of ability at the same time and he did that in good fashion today.”

Originally trained at Byerley Park in South Auckland by James Bridge, Mackintosh has won four of his five starts since joining Waller. This was his third stakes success, having previously claimed the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate (2000m) and Grand Prix (2200m).

Mackintosh has now earned A$373,747 in prize-money, more than 30 times is purchase price.

He is out of the Generous mare Lolly Scramble (NZ), a half-sister to the Group 1 performer Viennetta (NZ) (Pins). Stakes performers Golden Archer (Rock of Gibraltar) and Butterscotch (NZ) (Gold Brose) are close relatives, while it is also the family of Group 1 winners Headturner (Anabaa), O’Marilyn (O’Reilly) and Anacheeva (Anabaa).