The Party Stand Provides Another G.1 for Thorn Park

A last minute change of plans by trainer Roger James has proven a smart move as The Party Stand raced away to her first Group 1 victory in the $200,000 Nicolas Feuillatte New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Roger James decided late on Tuesday afternoon that the Australian bound flight would leave without The Party Stand (Thorn Park x Cremisi) as Roger decided that a tilt at the Group 1 weight-for-age New Zealand Stakes was the right option for the mare.

"She worked very well on the Tuesday morning and I was very happy with the way she had been going.

"The truck arrived later in the afternoon to pick her up, and after a big discussion and looking at the nominations for the race, we decided that she would stay in New Zealand and head for the New Zealand Stakes.

"We were very pleased with her run. We were confident coming into the race that she would put in a good performance and we got the result which is great.

"She has come through the race in good order so now we need to sit down and discuss future plans. There are a lot of options on the table and we want to have a good look at them all, but Brisbane could be on the cards a bit later in the season. For now we will just see how see goes."

The mare came into the race in good form after winning the Listed Trac Stakes at Matamata over 2000 metres late last month. On Saturday she proved again to be too strong in the concluding stages, beating the Stephen McKee trained mare Adaline (Court Of Jewels) by a long neck.

The NZB graduate and 2009/2010 NZ Horse of the Year Vosne Romanee (Electronic Zone), the winner of the race last year, ran an improved third after finally drawing a good alley for trainer Jeff Lynds.

The Party Stand continues a sensational run of success by her sire Thorn Park who had two stakes winners in the weekend with Magic Briar also winning at Listed level on Saturday. The son of Spinning World is now the sire of two Group 1 winners, the other being his outstanding NZ Derby winning son Jimmy Choux.

It was also a great weekend for Windsor Park Stud who not only stands Thorn Park, but also sold The Party Stand and Magic Briar.

The Party Stand is the tenth individual Group 1 winner for New Zealand Bloodstock this season, and the sixth from the Karaka Select Sale. The four-year-old was bred by Lady Margaret Trotter and was purchased by her trainer Roger James from Windsor Park Stud at the 2009 Karaka Select Sale for $27,500.