Monachee Storms Home in Dunedin Cup

A wonderful performance by Monachee in yesterday’s $50,000 Listed Couplands Bakeries Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) at Wingatui has seen her become O’Reilly’s 63rd stakes winner and his 9th black-type winner for the current season.

New Zealand’s reigning champion sire, O’Reilly has enjoyed a string of high profile successes this season with the likes of Sacred Falls and Mosse leading the charge, and once again his progeny were making the headlines yesterday claiming two of the three stakes races at Wingatui.

Trained by John & Karen Parsons, six-year-old Monachee (ex Kincia) produced arguably the performance of her career yesterday in the Dunedin Gold Cup under jockey Kylie Williams. Ridden mid-field for much of the race, Monachee hit the front at the top of the straight and left her rivals standing as she tore away to a 6.5 length romp.

Monachee won over 2000 metres four starts ago in Otago before being taken to Trentham for the Wellington Cup carnival where she ran third in the Wellington Cup Prelude after being held up, and fifth in the Summer Cup.

Yesterday’s win was the sixth of her 36 start career and has taken her total stakes earnings to over $75,000.

Bred by Lorraine Jameson, Monachee was purchased by Alan Sharrock from Sam and Catriona Williams’ Little Avondale Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2008 Karaka Select Sale for $135,000.

Little Avondale Stud sold eight yearlings at the Karaka Premier Sale this week with a top price of $200,000 for their Pentire colt (Lot 215). The stud will offer two yearlings at the Karaka Festival Sale which starts today, a colt by their resident sire Towkay at Lot 1164 and a colt by Alamosa at Lot 1228.