Super Weekend for Shuka and Linton

With seven group and stakes victories between them, Karaka graduates Shuka and Linton enjoyed further black-type success on Saturday taking group and listed wins at Riccarton and Morphettville.

For Shuka (Bachelor Duke x Alabama Rose) and his trainers Peter & Dawn Williams, Saturday saw them return to their former home at Riccarton to contest the $100,000 Group 3 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m).

Shuka is now a stakes winner at ages two, three and four

With Peter & Dawn having shifted to Byerley Park, the return to Riccarton could not have gone better for the pair as Shuka destroyed his rivals in the Canterbury Gold Cup under jockey Mark Du Plessis, powering away in the straight to win by an easy 7.5 lengths.

“It was a good win and he handled the wet ground well,” said co-trainer Peter Williams. “He will stay in the South Island and have a spell now and we will bring him back in the spring.

“He’s a big horse that just needed some time to mature and hopefully next season he can take another step up. The Group 2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile is a race we are looking at in the spring, a race he finished second in this season.”

The four-year-old son of Bachelor Duke has proven himself a classy performer during his career winning the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at two, the Listed Ray Coupland Stakes and three group placings at three and now the Group 3 Canterbury Gold Cup at four.

Bred by Karreman Bloodstock, Shuka is owned by Parr Bloodstock and was offered by The Oaks Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2010 Karaka Select Sale where he was purchased by NZB as Agent for just $20,000. He has now won five of his 25 starts for $324,950 in stakes.

Shortly after Linton (Galileo x Our Heather) also made a successful return at stakes level with victory in the A$80,000 Listed City of Adelaide Handicap (1400m) at Morphettville.

The six-year-old resumed his campaign at Moonee Valley in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes where he finished out of the placings behind Black Caviar but was back to his best on Saturday as he raced to a narrow victory under jockey Jamie Mott.

The grey has been a solid performer in Australia winning races including the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes, Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes, Group 3 R.A. Lees Stakes and placing in the Group 1 Australian Guineas and Group 1 Australian Cup.

Linton was bred by Standard 2080 Ltd and is a graduate of New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2008 Ready to Run Sale. Offered by Lyndhurst Farm, he was purchased by Rogerson Bloodstock for $275,000 for his former owner Lloyd Williams.

He is now raced by Estrela Energia, Mr M B Talty, Mr M P Talty and Mr G Talty and has won five of his 22 career starts for almost A$1 million in stakes.