Railings Rules Caulfield

One of Australia's stellar racedays of the year saw New Zealand horses lay claim to four of the day's races in front of a record crowd at Caulfield, including the big event of the day, the Group 1 Caulfield Cup.

New Zealand Bloodstock Sale graduate, Railings (Zabeel x La Suffregette) clinched his second Group 1 victory in as many months with a hard fought win in the 2005 Caulfield Cup (2400m). From near the back of the field at the 600m mark, the winner of the Group 1 AJC Metropolitan stormed home to secure his seventh win from 13 starts and become the fifth Caulfield Cup victory for New Zealand bred horses in the past 10 years.

Railings is the third Caulfield Cup winner for his champion sire, Zabeel. Might and Power was Zabeel's first winner in 1997 with Sky Heights taking the honours in 1999. Zabeel is represented by a sole entry in New Zealand Bloodstock's forthcoming Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, a colt from Foreign Copy, dam of Cronus and Pravda.

Railings was purchased at the 2003 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale by Roger James for NZ$300,000 from Haunui Farm and is raced by a group of New Zealand and Australian owners including Tony Pistikakis. The race was a first Caulfield Cup win for trainer, John Hawkes, and his 87th Group 1 winner. It was the second Caulfield Cup for jockey Greg Childs after his win on Northerly in 2002.

Another New Zealand Bloodstock sale graduate, Pendragon (Elnadim x Alacrity), impressed onlookers on the day with a win in the Group 2 AAMI Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m). Pendragon, by the sprinting son of Danzig in Elnadim, is from the young sire's first Southern Hemisphere crop. Owned by Shadwell Stud in Ireland, Elnadim shuttled to Westbury Stud in Auckland for just two years. The Ready to Run Sale at Karaka in November will feature the last of his second New Zealand crop.

Pendragon was purchased by Duncan Ramage for trainer, Bart Cummings, at the 2004 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale for NZ$180,000. His dam, Alacrity is a former winner of the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks and New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO Filly of the Year title.

New Zealand was represented by two other winners from the ten race card at Caulfield. Early in the day saw a welcome Melbourne victory for Sydney trainer, Gai Waterhouse, when Astronomia (King's Best x Astralita) won the Skyy Blue Plate (2000m) in Race 4.

Following Pendragon's win in Race 5, New Zealand breds won their third in row in the Group 3 Remington Coongy Handicap (2000m) in Race 6. Headed by Lloyd Williams' Activation (Zabeel x Coogee Walk) a New Zealand bred trifecta was completed by Studebaker (Lord Ballina x Centuria) in second and Uprize (Prized x Impossible Dream) in third.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, NZ$90,000 Karaka sale graduate, Crepe de Chine (Pins x Gio), took out one of the three Group 3 features of the weekend in the Lion Red Plate (1200m) for Lance O'Sullivan. The Waikato Stud bred filly now has the impressive race record of being unplaced only once in her six career starts, which includes a Listed win in the Counties RC Cullen Stakes on debut. She currently has three points in the NZB Filly of the Year Series after her second placing to Howmuchyacharging (Howbaddouwantit x Fairdale Lass) in the Group 3 Highview Stakes. Crepe de Chine is currently nominated for the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 5th, where she will attempt to add to her current points in the Filly of the Year Series.