Need I Say More Scores Fourth Group Win

Super-talented Karaka graduate Need I Say More (No Nay Never) collected the fourth Group-race win of his short career with a brilliant first-up performance in Saturday’s $70,000 Group Three Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie. 

The chestnut was a $130,000 purchase by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis from the Book 1 draft of Kilgravin Lodge at Karaka 2019. He has now had seven starts for five impressive wins, earning $193,600 in stakes.

The winner of the Group Three Waikato Stud Slipper (1200m) as a two-year-old last season, Need I Say More made further impact through the spring with victories in the Group Two Sarten Memorial (1400m) and Group Three Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).

Freshened following his sixth placing in the Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in early November, Need I Say More returned in style on Saturday under a testing topweight of 60.5kg.

Ridden by Troy Harris for high-flying trainer Jamie Richards, Need I Say More came out of midfield and wore down the flying front-running filly Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard), who was carrying five and a half kilograms less weight. He surged to the front inside the last 100 metres and scored a narrow but emphatic win.

“He got away well, then got crowded a little bit,” Harris said. “He got a nice run into it around the corner, and then he let go well with the big weight.”

Richards was similarly impressed with Need I Say More’s winning return.

“He did it the hard way after being a little slow away,” he said. “He really didn’t have the speed to muster, but thankfully one went around them to give us a bit of cover, which was a big help.

“It was a really tough effort to sit out there and carry that weight, so it is a great way to start the day.

“Mind you, there is going to need to be some improvement in him, as he is probably going to have to run against (stablemate) Avantage (Fastnet Rock) in his next start in the BCD Group Sprint (Group One, 1400m at Te Rapa on February 13).”

Need I Say More was the first of an incredible 13 runners throughout Saturday’s six-race Karaka Million programme at Ellerslie for Te Akau Racing, on the eve of a Karaka 2021 Sale where Ellis is set to once again play a huge role on the buyers’ bench.

Hugely successful international stallion No Nay Never, the sire of Need I Say More, is represented by seven yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2021.

Vendor	Kilgravin Lodge
Purchaser	Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau)
Breeding	No Nay Never – Bo Bardi
Sale	Lot 606, Karaka 2019 Book 1, $130,000
Bred by	Burnewang North Pastoral