New Zealand Bloodstock Graduates Take out Singapore Features

Sunday night's racing in Singapore capped off a remarkable weekend for New Zealand trainer Laurie Laxon, who saddled five winners over the Friday and Sunday, and showcased some great Karaka talent.

The feature event saw Crusoe (Volksraad x Caserio) record his seventh career win, when victorious in the Listed S$200,000 Singapore 4YO Mile. Jockey Aaron Spiteri eased Crusoe to the front before the end of the back straight putting several lengths on the rest of the field early on the home straight. Crusoe hung on to the lead to win by half-a-length despite a challenge from the fast finishing Graduate Boy.

In third spot was World Delight (Mellifont x Lady Anne). Dean Wiles purchased him from the Karaka Festival Sale for NZ$18,000 from Paramount Lodge.

The purchase of the Izett-bred Crusoe, by Bob Emery for NZ$65,000 at the Karaka Select Sale in 2004 from Mapperley Stud, has proved a very astute one. Already the winner of three races in New Zealand, Crusoe has earned an additional S$342,476 in prize money in Singapore with his four wins and is now automatically eligible for the S$3 million Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) in May.

Caserio is also the dam of this season's Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock One-Thousand Guineas winner, Dorabella (by Postponed) while her yearling, by Black Minnaloushe, was purchased by Tony Pike for NZ$110,000 from the Windsor Park draft at the Karaka Premier Sale in January.

In the final race on the card Why Be (Success Express x Charybdis), also trained by Laxon, took out the S$125,000 Kranji Stakes A (1200m). This was the four-year-old's seventeeth win from twenty starts with yesterday's victory his eighth in a row.

Bred by the Talls, of New South Wales, and purchased by Bruce Wallace at the 2004 Karaka Select Sale for NZ$26,000 from Chequers Stud, the gelding has now won over S$1.2m for his owners, Perfectum Stable.

Also successful on Sunday night were:

In Race 2, Karaka Premier Sale graduate and Laxon-trained Lucky Dip (Flying Spur x Logical Lady) won the Restricted Maiden (1200m) by four lengths. He was purchased by Bruce Wallace in 2005 for NZ$38,000 from Blandford Lodge.

Race 3 on the card, the Class 4 (1200m), was taken out by New Zealand bred Lim's Objective (O'Reilly x Hasty Bird) who won by nearly four lengths.

In Race 5 Mexborough Lad (Marju x Tinikadua) got to the line by a short head in the Progress 1600m. He was purchased by Paul O'Sullivan from Bloomsbury Stud at the Karaka Premier Sale for NZ$62,500. He is now trained by ex-pat Kiwi Stephen Gray.

Race 8 saw a Kiwi trifecta when Royal Crown (Stark South x Reinette) won the Initiation 1600m by five-and-a-half lengths over the Karaka graduate Big Citi (City on a Hill x Iseult). Originally purchased at the National Weanling Sale by John Hay from Curraghmore Stud for NZ$4,200, Big Citi was later purchased by Andrew Bloodstock, Auckland, for NZ$11,000 from Tamika Lodge at the Karaka Festival Sale.

Just over a length away in third was No Limit (Magic Ring x Sierra Susie). He was also purchased at the National Weanling Sale in 2004 by Russell Philp for NZ$13,000.

In Race 9, the Class 3 over 1200m, Coup Leader (Sandtrap x Deceo) recorded his second win in a row in. Named Swift when he raced in New Zealand, he was bought by K Shaw from Java Lodge for NZ$15,000 as a weanling, then sold by Curraghmore Stud to Robert Priscott, at the Karaka Select Sale for NZ$25,000.