Nashville (NZ) Defends Group 1 Crown

The highly talented Nashville (NZ) (Darci Brahma) defended his crown in the Group 1 $200,000 Haunui Farm WFA Classic (1600m), recording back-to-back wins in the feature race on Saturday.

Nashville (NZ) races away to win the Group 1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic at Otaki.

Last year Nashville beat a small but select field in the premier race at Otaki, including the likes of multiple Group 1 winners Ocean Park and Veyron. This year he met an even field of runners that included strong form from the Group 1 NRM Sprint two weeks prior at Te Rapa.

The $40,000 Ready to Run Sale graduate is trained by Adrian Bull in Hunterville, along with his son Harry who recently went into partnership with his owner-trainer father, with Nashville their first Group 1 horse.

There was an evident lack of speed in the race and rider Jonathan Riddell was able to position Nashville closer to the speed, against his usual pattern of racing which is to drop out to the tail of the field.

As the field swung wide around the turn, the five-year-old gelding was able to cut the corner and get a clear passage along the inside without having to go around a runner. He was able to produce the devastating sprint that he is renowned for and there was no catching him as he powered to the line to win by 1.5 lengths over Xanadu (NZ) (Elusive City) and Final Touch (NZ) (Kashani) in third.

“It was a big thrill,” commented Harry Bull. “We went out there trying to ride a lot more positive and it came off good for us.

“It seems a bit more than coincidental that he has won the race two years in a row, he seems to come right in his coat and the way he is working at this time of year.

“At the moment we are going to go back to Auckland and hopefully we can improve on our last placing achieved last year in the New Zealand Stakes.

“He has been really exciting for us, he is our first Group 1 horse. We only train nine or ten horses, Dad runs a farm and I am still at university so it is quite exciting for us.

Saturday’s second victory in the Haunui Farm Classic was also the second victory at Group 1 level for Nashville who has won eight races from 22 starts, earning $527,158 for his owners Adrian & Robyn Bull.

Bred by Blythe Tait’s Chesterfields Ltd, Nashville is out of Royal Kiss (Royal Academy) and is a half-brother to the Australian stakes performer China Causeway (Giant’s Causeway) along with the unraced Sweet Maggie (Danehill Dancer), the dam of this season’s Group 3 Eclipse Stakes winner Vinnie Eagle (I Am Invincible).

Beamish Bloodstock purchased Nashville from NZB’s 2010 Ready to Run Sale for $40,000 from Chesterfields Ltd. He becomes the third Group 1 graduate for the Ready to Run this season following the successes of Atlante (Fastnet Rock) and Glorious Days (Hussonet).