Stakes Success for $15,000 Weanling Purchase New York Minute (NZ)

New York Minute (NZ) (Iffraaj), who cost just $15,000 at the 2013 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka, collected a valuable first black-type win in Saturday’s $50,000 Listed Woburn Farm Tauranga Classic (1400m).

The mare had already demonstrated her racetrack prowess, winning six times and placing in six stakes races including a runner-up finish in last year’s Tauranga Classic.

A black-type win was the only thing missing from her CV, and she changed that on Saturday by going one better in the Tauranga fillies and mares’ feature.

Ridden by Lisa Allpress, the five-year-old sat in a distant second place as Rich Billie Marsh (NZ) (Viking Ruler) went out to a huge lead.

New York Minute pulled the rest of the field forward to close the gap on Rich Billie Marsh approaching the home turn, then hit the lead at the top of the straight.

She was challenged in the straight by her stablemates Deals In Heels (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Tomelilla (NZ) (Tavistock), but New York Minute found enough to surge clear and win by three-quarters of a length.

“She was exceptional today,” Allpress said.

New York Minute has now had 23 starts for seven wins, six placings and $170,910 in prize-money for her owners, the Kelly family. She has earned more than 11 times her purchase price.

“She’s won a stakes race for them now, which is the main thing,” co-trainer Andrew Forsman said. “She really had to lift and it was a gutsy effort. I think it was a case of her being the biggest, strongest mare.”