Stakes Success for Southern Ocean (NZ)

Lightly-raced Southern Ocean (NZ) (Ocean Park) emerged as an exciting stayer of the future with his first black-type victory in Saturday’s $60,000 Listed Sothys Spring Classic (2000m) at Riccarton Park. 

A son of Viana (NZ) (Volksraad), who won the same race in 2013, Southern Ocean was passed in at Karaka 2018 with a reserve of $30,000. He has now had nine starts for five wins and three second placings, earning more than $93,000 in stakes.

Despite travelling three-wide for most of Saturday’s race, Southern Ocean and jockey Lisa Allpress cruised into contention with ease at the top of the long Riccarton straight.

Southern Ocean surged forward with 200m remaining, sprinting to the lead and then maintaining a neck margin over El Gladiador (NZ) (Ghibellines) and the strong-finishing Dee And Gee (NZ) (Darci Brahma).

Trained locally by Terri Rae, Southern Ocean is now set for further black-type assignments on his home track in the $75,000 Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2500m) on November 6 and the $250,000 Group Three New Zealand Cup (3200m) seven days later.

“He has an excellent record for a lightly-raced horse, and he showed again today just what a promising stayer he is,” Rae said.

“It’s funny – when he was getting ready for his first start at this time last year, he had won three trials over 1000m, so we knew he could gallop, but his future is as a stayer. That’s where he will make his mark.

“The New Zealand Cup is his target, so he will probably have a start in the Metropolitan Trophy to put the finishing touches on him.

“Both races are on his home patch, so there is no travelling involved, which is good because he is still not the finished product yet. Now he has strengthened up some more, I’d like to think we could travel him a little more later in this campaign.”