Sweet Ice (NZ) Bursts into Karaka Millions 2YO Contention

A shot at the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) was not previously on the radar for Sweet Ice (NZ) (Frosted), but that all changed within the space of one race at Te Rapa on Saturday.

A debut victory in Saturday’s $65,000 ICIB Brokerweb Insurance Brokers 2YO (1100m) thrust the gelding straight to the top of the Karaka Millions 2YO order of entry with $37,375 in stakes.

Ridden by Sam Spratt for home-track trainer David Greene, Sweet Ice showed sharp speed out of the barriers and dominated the race from the front. He kicked away in the straight and cruised home by a length and three-quarters despite racing greenly in the final 100 metres.

Sweet Ice was offered by his breeders Pencarrow Stud in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, where Greene Racing bought him for $55,000.

“He still has a few things to learn, but as you can see, he is a talent,” Greene said. “It was his first time going past big screens and the like, and it can be a bit lonely out there in front on your own, so he might have been looking for his friends.

“We’ve never really asked too much of him, but he has always appealed as a well-above-average athlete.

“I didn’t think he was a Karaka Millions type of horse, but the owners won’t let me get away with not having a crack at that race now.”

Spratt has no doubt that Sweet Ice can continue to develop between now and Karaka Millions night at Ellerslie in late January.

“He has got huge ability and has always shown a lot, but he is as green as,” she said. “He improved between his first trial and his second trial, and he still has lengths left in him.

“I thought we were going to do a U-turn halfway up the straight, but he managed to stick on. He did that with his ears pricked, despite running around everywhere. So when he puts everything together and knuckles down, he will be pretty good.”

Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), the former leader on the Karaka Millions 2YO order of entry, now sits in second place with $35,025. Hello Romeo (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) is third with $32,715, followed by Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan) with $29,275 and Vega For Luck (NZ) (Lucky Vega) with $28,325.

The cut-off point for the field of 14 is now $15,625, with that position currently occupied by Miss Ziggy (NZ) (Brazen Beau).

The complexion of that leaderboard is set to change next Saturday with the running of the valuable $175,000 Group Two Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham.

The TAB Karaka Millions 2YO is part of a stellar six-race twilight meeting at Ellerslie on January 25, which sets the scene for a spectacular week of Karaka 2025 selling action.