Ruud Awakening Targets Australian 2YO Group 1 Riches

Karaka Million winner Ruud Awakening is a filly with Golden Slipper ambitions after her first class performance to take Saturday’s $200,000 Group 1 Haunui Farm Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie.

The Bernardini filly (ex Dawn Almighty) showed that she is worthy of a tilt at the world’s richest two-year-old race, the A$3.5 million Golden Slipper, as she was utterly dominant in Saturday’s victory which was her first at Group 1 level.

The Stephen Marsh trained filly has proven the best of her generation in New Zealand as she was a class above her rivals in the $1 million Karaka Million (Res.L) at her last start and now the Group 1 Diamond Stakes.

It wasn’t just the ease of the filly’s win on Saturday, leading all the way to a 2.25 length victory; it was also the time she ran, clocking the 1200 metre race in 1:08.78 with the final 600 metres in 33.73.

“We now have some decisions to make but Sydney is looking the likely option,” commented Albert Bosma whose company Go Racing purchased and manages the filly on behalf of her owners - the Go Racing Almighty Dawn Syndicate.

“We can either head for the Golden Slipper or the Sires’ Produce Stakes a week later, which one we choose will be decided this week. A late entry to the Golden Slipper will cost A$150,000 but we have until the week before the race to pay so that certainly helps as it gives us time to see how she is going coming into the race.”

Bosma knows what it takes to win Group 1 races in Australia and thinks Ruud Awakening can be competitive in their two-year-old ranks.

“She will have to improve again to be able to win in Australia but I think that she has a bit more in her, especially if she takes a sit as she was tight on the bit on Saturday and if she relaxes, she may yet have a bit more up her sleeve.

“There are one or two very good two-year-olds in Australia but I think the rest are a pretty even bunch and given the time she ran on Saturday, you would hope she could measure up.”

Ruud Awakening is raced by the Go Racing Almighty Dawn Syndicate, which includes legendary ex All Black Sir Colin Meads, and she has now won five of her six starts for $720,000 in stakes. Her only defeat came in the Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes at Counties at her third race where she missed the start and ran a long neck second to Bounding (Lonhro) who ran second in Saturday’s race.

Bred by Watson Bloodstock Ltd, Ruud Awakening was offered by Westbury Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2012 Karaka Premier Sale where she was purchased by Albert Bosma’s Go Racing Syndications for $90,000.