Nashville Downs Big Guns in G1 Haunui Classic

NZB’s Ready to Run Sale celebrated another weekend of Group 1 success with Nashville beating a star line-up in Saturday’s $200,000 Group 1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic (1600m) at Otaki.

Nashville is NZB Ready to Run Sale second Group 1 winner for this season with Sangster (Savabeel) winning the Group 1 International Stakes just two weeks ago, also providing the Sale with its 12th Group 1 victory in the last five seasons.

Nashville is the second Group 1 winner for his sire Darci Brahma

He also headed a stakes double for the Sale on Saturday with fellow graduate Guess What (Danroad) winning the $50,000 Listed Marks Ewen & Associates Kaimai Stakes (2000m) at Matamata.

The Group 1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic boasted a small but highly talented field of Group 1 winners Ocean Park (Thorn Park), Veyron (Thorn Park), Final Touch (Kashani) and former top Singapore galloper Better Than Ever (French Deputy) but it was Nashville who upstaged them all to take the biggest win of his career.  

Trained by Adrian Bull, Nashville (Darci Brahma x Royal Kiss) came from last in the five horse field under jockey Kelly Myers, producing his customary turn of foot to power past his rivals to beat Veyron by half-a-length with Better Than Ever finishing third.

“We are thrilled with the result,” commented Adrian Bull. “For him to beat horses of that calibre at equal weights is a big achievement.

“From here we may look to the Group 1 New Zealand Stakes (2000m) on 9 March but the horse is due for a break soon so we will give him a good spell and aim him at some Group 1 races in the spring.”

The four-year-old son of Darci Brahma had no luck in his last two starts, running into a wall of horses in the Group 1 Telegraph Handicap and losing several lengths in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile before finishing just three lengths from the winner Historian (Choisir).

Nashville was bred by Blyth Tait’s Chesterfields Ltd and is raced by Adrian Bull with his wife Robyn. He was purchased by Beamish Bloodstock from Chesterfields Ltd at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2010 Ready to Run Sale for $40,000.

Nashville has now won six of his 13 starts for over $315,000 and is the second Group 1 winner for his exciting young sire Darci Brahma. The sire of eight stakes winners, Darci Brahma had a top weekend with his daughter Recite remaining unbeaten with a big win in the Group 2 Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes.

Guess What took his first stakes win in the Listed Kaimai Stakes

The John Mason trained Guess What (Danroad x May Storm) made it a double for NZB’s Ready to Run Sale producing a game front running performance to win the $50,000 Listed Marks Ewen & Associates Kaimai Stakes (2000m) at Matamata on Saturday.

Guess What was given a great ride from jockey Craig Grylls who let the four-year-old slide to the front before putting two lengths on the field at the top of the straight and holding off the fast finishing Alegrio (Captain Rio) to win by three-quarters-of-a-length.

The son of Danroad showed good ability last season as a three-year-old finishing fourth to Silent Achiever (O’Reilly) and Ocean Park (Thorn Park) in the Group 2 Waikato Guineas before contesting the NZ Derby. His form leading into Saturday’s Kaimai Stakes was very good having won two of his last five starts and placing in the other three.

Trainer John Mason has indicated that Guess What will not be running at the Auckland Cup Carnival and instead will be given a break before being aimed at racing in the autumn.

Guess What was bred by Ross Houltham and was offered by Casey & Michelle Dando’s Bradbury Park at NZB’s 2010 Ready to Run Sale. He is the fifth stakes winner for his sire Donroad and has won four of his 17 starts for over $60,000 in stakes.