Riccarton Hosts NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho
24 October 2024
The South Island stages its stepping stone towards the A$300,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) this weekend with the running of the $50,000 NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho (3000m) at Riccarton.
Saturday’s race is the second of two qualifying races in New Zealand every year for the Jericho Cup, which will be run at Warrnambool on December 1. The winner of each qualifying race receives a guaranteed start in the Jericho Cup, and sponsors NZB Airfreight will offer a $5,000 equine airfreight credit for the winner of each qualifying race, should they decide to travel across the Tasman and contest the Jericho Cup.
The first Kiwi qualifying race for the Jericho Cup this season was run at Waverley on September 25 and was won by Split (NZ) (Turn Me Loose).
The Jericho Cup was inaugurated in 2018 and is open to Australian and New Zealand-bred horses only, commemorating the light horse involvement in World War I and run on the fourth Sunday after the Group One Melbourne Cup (3200m). The original Jericho Cup was run in 1918 over three miles through desert sands. Its 100th anniversary was marked with the introduction of the modern Jericho Cup six years ago.
The New Zealand influence on the Jericho Cup has quickly taken hold, with the first five winners all bred on this side of the Tasman – High Mode (NZ) (Redwood), Ablaze (NZ) (Raise the Flag), Count Zero (NZ) (Zed), Bastida (NZ) (Pierro) and the Kiwi-trained Nassak Diamond (NZ) (Roc De Cambes), whose victory in last year’s race was set up by a win in the North Island qualifier.
Saturday’s southern qualifier has attracted a talented field of 11. The NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho will be run as Race 6 at Riccarton, with a scheduled start time of 2:51pm.
| # | HORSE | DRAW | COMMENTS | SALE | PURCHASER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noble Knight | 7 | Bought for $22,500 from the 2019 South Island Sale, Noble Knight (NZ) (Ghibellines) has banked $222,924 from a 41-start career that has produced six wins and 16 placings. He has won three times at Riccarton, including a $65,000 Rating 82 over 2600 metres during the New Zealand Cup Carnival last November. | 2019 South Island Sale | SJ Cunningham, $22,500 |
| 2 | Peecee Pussycat | 6 | Peecee Pussycat (NZ) (Pure Champion) has been a six-time winner from a 48-start career and has earned more than $160,000 for his owner-breeders Colin and Tina Nimmo. The three-kilogram claim of apprentice jockey Ruvanesh Muniandy brings the seven-year-old's weight down to only 53.5 kilograms. | ||
| 3 | Proserve | 3 | His half-sister First Serve (NZ) (Swiss Ace) won seven times up to Group Three level, all over 1400 metres or less, but Proserve (NZ) (Proisir) is following a very different path. The $65,000 Karaka 2020 purchase has won six races to date, four of them over 2000 metres or further. He has earned more than $158,000. | Karaka 2020, Book 1 | MR Pitman, $65,000 |
| 4 | Yolo | 8 | Yolo (NZ) (Zed) has had 37 starts for four wins, 10 placings and $121,745 in stakes. The seven-year-old mare heads south in solid form, having finished in the top four in all of her last four races. | ||
| 5 | Franni Caccini | 11 | Owned and trained by Kenny Moore, Franni Caccini (NZ) (Puccini) has been a three-time winner in her 20-start career, with all of those wins coming over 2200 metres. | ||
| 6 | Just Charlie | 4 | The lightly raced Just Charlie (NZ) (Zed) has had 12 starts for two wins and four placings. The five-year-old was a dominant last-start winner over 2200 metres at Waverley. | ||
| 7 | Eulogy Show | 5 | Eulogy Show (NZ) (Highly Recommended) won this race in impressive style 12 months ago. The seven-year-old has now had a total of 38 starts for three wins, five placings and $97,870 in stakes. | ||
| 8 | Ice Empress | 10 | Ice Empress (NZ) (Tarzino) is taking a big step up in class here after scoring an easy last-start maiden win over 2200 metres at Timaru on October 8. | ||
| 9 | Five Princes | 1 | Although he has now been out of winning form for some time, Five Princes (NZ) (Red Giant) is a proven performer with five wins and more than $139,000 to his name from 77 starts. He finished ninth in this race two years ago, and he has also contested a Group Three New Zealand Cup (3200m) at this venue, finishing 12th in 2020. | ||
| 10 | Madison Rose | 9 | Madison Rose (NZ) (Roc De Cambes) was unplaced in this race last year, but has previously recorded two placings over 2600 metres at this course. | ||
| 11 | Raardy Raar | 2 | Raardy Raar (NZ) (Ekraar) was a maiden winner over 2200 metres two years ago and had little luck in his last-start fifth over the same distance at Ashburton on October 20. |