Pinarello (NZ) a Class Above in Championship Stakes

Buyers had a rare chance to buy into some special Cambridge Stud bloodlines at Karaka 2020, and Saturday’s $120,000 Group Two Trelawney Stud Championship Stakes (2100m) at Pukekohe showed just what they missed out on.

Offered with a $300,000 reserve, brilliant winner Pinarello (NZ) is by top sire Tavistock (NZ) out of Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s prized mare Zonza (NZ) (Zabeel), who herself won five races including the Group Three Ladies’ Day Vase (1600m) in Melbourne. She has been even better at stud, now with three stakes-winning progeny from four to race including high-class daughters Vernazza (NZ) (More Than Ready) and Bavella (Snitzel).

The sky could be the limit for the newest member of that group, Pinarello, who has now picked up three super-impressive wins in a short six-start career and also finished fifth in last month’s Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m).

Ridden by Leith Innes, Pinarello was travelling with ominous ease a long way from the finish. He cruised up alongside the leaders at the top of the straight, with Innes having a confident look over his shoulder for any potential danger.

Innes released the brakes and Pinarello powered away, opening up a winning margin of two and a half lengths over Titled (Exceed And Excel) and Lingjun Xiongfeng (The Factor).

With $129,875 in prize-money already in the bank, Pinarello could now head across the Tasman for a Group One assignment during the upcoming Queensland Winter Carnival.

“That was a very good run,” said Roger James, who trains Pinarello in partnership with Robert Wellwood. “Although we were confident, he hadn’t raced since the Derby in early March.

“Leith rode him nicely, he travelled very well in the run, and you saw his class when he extended away like he did.

“As long as he pulls up well, then he will be in serious consideration for a trip to Brisbane for the Queensland Derby. The race today will have brought his fitness on again and we would look at a race like the Rough Habit Plate (Group Three, 2000m) as a possible lead-up to a Derby start.”

Pinarello headed a Karaka quinella and Cambridge Stud quinella in the Championship Stakes, with runner-up Titled being bought for $500,000 by Gary Harding from the same Cambridge Stud Book 1 draft at Karaka 2020. Although still a maiden, the highly talented Titled has placed in eight of his 12 starts including twice at Group level.