Top Act (NZ) Steals the Show

Karaka graduate Top Act (NZ) (O’Reilly) took centre stage last night with a determined triumph in the HK$3,000,000 HK-3 The SA SA Ladies’ Purse (1800m) in Hong Kong.

Top Act (NZ) wins the HK-3 The SA SA Ladies' Purse. Photo courtesy of the HKJC.

Trained by Tony Millard, this was Top Act’s first tilt at a stakes race following placings at his two previous starts this preparation, finishing third on both occasions. A winner over 1600m and 1800m, this was his sixth win from 19 starts.

“He’s been great,” commented Millard. “We planned this path for him at the end of last season. He won five races for us and has really come into it. I had him a touch big today and he’s still improved.”

Settling in fifth position in the early stages after jumping from barrier 6 for jockey Richard Fourie, Top Act steadily improved from the 1000m to race three-wide as the field turned for home.

Chasing the pace-maker, Top Act hit the front at the 250m mark and dug deep to hold off  Romantic Touch (Northern Meteor) to win by a neck with late challenger Ensuring (New Approach) in third place.

Top Act will next race in the Group 2 Longines Jockey Club Cup over 2000m on 21 November with Millard alluding December’s Longines Hong Kong International Races could be on the cards.

“We will take him for the 2000m race next and if he goes well there, maybe we can supplement for the HKIR meeting. It’s been step-by-step with him. I never really push them, just let them come into it, and he’s been one like that, he’s really just done it on his own,” adds Millard.

The five-year-old gelding increased his earnings to HK$6,666,450 for owners Bonnie Chan Yiting, Anthony Derek Lai Shu Yan, Ricky Choy Wing Kay & Dominic Lee Kan Nam.

Top Act was purchased by NZB as agent at the 2012 Karaka Premier Sale for NZ$160,000 from Beltana.

Bred by Beltana’s Richard Rutherford along with John & Jackie Cameron, the son of Champion Sire O’Reilly is out of Shemiyra (In the Wings), a half-sister to stakes winners Shemima (Dalakhani), Shemala (Danehill) and Shemaya (Darshaan).

Top Act’s second dam, Shemaka(Nishapour), was a Group 1 winner in France, winning the Group 1 Chantilly Prix de Diane.

Champion Sire O’Reilly has 18 two-year-old’s to be offered at NZB’s Ready to Run Sale, which will be held next week (18 & 19 November).

Last night’s win topped off an excellent weekend for Karaka graduates with NZB Ready to Run Sale graduate Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj) scoring his second Group 1 triumph in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes in Flemington.

Group 1 winner Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel) also claimed a stakes win in Flemington, winning the Group 2 Presto Matriarch Stakes. Winning in New Zealand was the three-year-old son of Pentire Xtravagant (NZ), victorious in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas – by the same sire as the Group 1 Melbourne Cup winner last Tuesday Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire).