Solzhenitsyn (NZ) Completes Karaka Group 1 Double at Caufield

The kiwi bred Solzhenitsyn (NZ) completed a purple day at Caulfield for New Zealand and Karaka on Saturday when giving New Zealand Bloodstock a Group 1 double and back to back wins in the A$400,000 Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m).

The six-year-old son of St. Petersburg (ex Tri Victory) completed a memorable day for many connections. Solzhenitsyn brought up a Caulfield winning double for his trainer Robert Heathcote who also won the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes with Buffering (Mossman).

Leading kiwi Bloodstock Agent Paul Willetts celebrated a winning double having purchased both Solzhenitsyn and Buffering from the Sale ring. Trelawney Stud’s Brent and Cherry Taylor also celebrated a big day having bred Group 1 Caulfield Stakes winner, the Karaka graduate Ocean Park (Thorn Park), and sharing in Solzhenitsyn’s ownership.

Solzhenitsyn came into Saturday’s Group 1 race in top form having won fresh up at Doomben two starts ago and running third to Moment of Charge (Barely A Moment) in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at his last outing.

Ridden by jockey Corey Brown in Saturday’s race, Solzhenitsyn made up five lengths in the straight after racing mid-field and beat the likes of More Joyous (More Than Ready) and Karaka graduate Mufhasa (Pentire) who won the Toorak last year, to win by just under half-a-length.

“We purchased the horse as a weanling with the view to selling him after winning a trial,” said Solzhenitsyn’s buyer and co-owner Paul Willetts.

“We gave him to Richard Otto to train and he won a trial but no offer came so we decided to race him. He won a qualifying race for Hong Kong at his fourth start and we got a good offer but he failed the vet examination.”

“After racing him successfully in New Zealand we sent him to Robert Heathcote in Australia to train and the rest is history.

Solzhenitsyn has now won 11 of his 24 starts, three at stakes level, for almost $750,000 in stakes with Saturday’s win the highlight of his budding career thus far.

“We were confident coming into the Toorak but we knew we were up against some very good horses,” said Willetts. “We knew he would love the 1600 metres and he would be strong in the last 200 metres and he certainly was on Saturday.

“The Group 1 Emirates Mile is his main aim. He is a big striding horse who will love Flemington and that has always been his main goal this spring. We will take him to Cox Plate day in the interim to contest the Group 2 Crystal Mile.”

Bred and sold by Grande Vue Lodge, Solzhenitsyn was purchased by Paul Willetts at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2007 National Weanling Sale for just $10,000 and is raced by Paul in conjunction with Damon Gabbedy, Lawrence Nash, Cherry Taylor, Mr A Watkins and Mr J Capo.

Solzhenitsyn is the first Group 1 winner and fifth stakes winner for his sire St. Petersburg whose other leading progeny include stakes winners Chartreuse, Barlinnie, Russian Conquest and Ready to Run graduate St Peter's Gift.