Trans-Tasman Stakes Success for Karaka Graduates

Graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka sales ring celebrated stakes victories in three different time zones this past Saturday, with feature success in New Zealand, and on Australia's east and west coasts.

Ekstreme Group 1 Glory

The Group 1 Dixon and Dunlop Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday attracted 15 competitors who travelled from all over the North and South Island to contest the $200,000 weight-for-age feature.

Group 1 winners Tell a Tale, Culminate, Vosne Romanee, and Maco'Reilly all faced the starter, as did last start Flemington Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Sterling Prince, however the day was to welcome a new mare to the illustrious elite level when Ekstreme (Ekraar x Cashcade, by Anziyan) out-performed her rivals.

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�Stoney Bridge's Group 1 producing sire Ekraar (Red Ransom)

The daughter of Ekraar was having her third start back after a classic year which saw her good enough to win the Group 3 Lowland Stakes (2100m), and finish second in the Group 3 Doomben Roses, before placing sixth behind Purple in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m).

Offered at the 2007 Karaka Select Sale, Ekstreme is the first Group 1 winner for her sire Ekraar who himself won at top level in the Group 1 Milan Gran Premio del Jockey Club. With his oldest just turned four, Ekraar has made a promising start in New Zealand with this season's Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas placed Clapton also amongst his shining lights.

Ekstreme is now the winner of over $250,000 after five wins for trainer Bryce Revell and the Waimea Racing Syndicate.

The syndicate named after the Waimea suburb of New Plymouth includes�a dozen enthusiastic owners including Chris Whittle who, as a fifth generation racehorse owner,�is still soaking up their�mare's Group 1 glory.

"It is my first Group 1 as an owner and�the success is still sinking in", Whittle commented.

"I have known Bryce for over 25 years�as my family had horses with John Wheeler whom Bryce was apprenticed to, so that makes the whole�thing that much more special".

"This is a great feeling and the thing is anybody can expereince it in New Zealand".

"I mean�we�shop�at the same place�(Karaka)�as Bart Cummings who�he has been sourcing�top horses like So You Think�here for years, so we know the New Zealand product must be a winner".

In September Whittle and Revell purchased another Ekraar from Karaka when they went to $6,500 for�Lot 87, a chestnut colt out of�Trickster (Rory's Jester),�from NZB's Spring Mixed Bloodstock Sale for $6,500.

Broken-in and doing things nicely the colt should provide some further fun next year but not before the Waimea Racing Syndicate see�their top mare Ekstreme perform in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (1600m) on�Boxing Day.��

Joey Massino on Track in Guineas

Trainer Peter McKay took his recipe of success to Karaka in 2008 and it looks as if the ingredients have delivered a promising horse in Joey Massino (O'Reilly x Rationable, by Housebuster).

On Saturday when winning the Group 2 HS Dyke Avondale Guineas (1600m), and in his two earlier victories, the three-year-old has 'done an Octagonal' in only producing what is required to get home in front.

The bold front runner led the field of three-year-olds into the home straight before waiting on challengers whom he fought off one by one all the way down to the wire.

By O'Reilly, the sire of McKay's Group 1 star Alamosa, from Rationable, the dam of McKay's $1,000,000 Karaka Million winner Vincent Mangano as well as this season's Group 2 winner Vigor, Joey Massino was purchased, like Alamosa and Vincent Mangano, from Waikato Stud at the Karaka Premier Sale.

The entire cost $140,000 as a yearling, a value he has equalled with his race earnings, and now looks set to rise to Group 1 level as early as Boxing Day against older horses in the Zabeel Classic (1600m).

With his value as a potential sire at the forefront of McKay's thinking, Joey Massino will continue to be well-placed and, given his will to win, he is sure to be a an unforgiving force at the elite level right through until the $2,000,000 Group 1 NZ Derby in March.

Group 3 for Gondorff

New Zealand Bloodstock graduates continued to prove their toughness at racing carnivals throughout Australasia in middle-distance features when Gondorff (Montjeu x My Funny Face, by Marscay) landed the Group 3 Queen's Cup (2400m) for Karaka on Saturday during West Australia's Kingston Town Classic day.

The winner of this season's Listed Kalgoorlie Cup, six-year-old Gondorff was purchased by Danny O'Brien for $200,000 from Trelawney Stud at the 2005 Karaka Premier Sale.

Making his way to the West Australian Stable of Mark Read, a successful harness trainer, this time last year, the son of Montjeu has won five of his six races in Perth and accumulated over A$320,000 in prize-money.

Now being aimed at the Group 2 BMW Perth Cup on New Year's Day, Gondorff will look to complete a kiwi double in Perth's top staying race after fellow NZB graduate Guyno (O'Reilly) took out the 2400m event last year.

Montjeu will be represented by a yearling colt at New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales Series in February.

Offered by Esker Lodge as Lot 301, the colt is out of Danehill mare Blowin in the Wind which makes him a close relation to Ireland's 2007 Champion 3YO Stayer Honolulu (Montjeu). This is also the family of last season's Group 1 Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (Dalakhani) and her Group 1 winning half-sister Cerulean Sky (Darshaan).

Swiss Rose Stakes Win for Thorn Park

Swiss Rose (Thorn Park x Finishing School, by Royal Academy) beat Queensland's best sprinting three-year-old fillies when winning the Listed Mode Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday.

She provided her NZ-based sire Thorn Park with his seventh individual stakes-winner with his oldest just turned four.

The filly who races for Hoss & Gillian Heinrich 'came from the clouds' in the 18 horse field to land the Listed event, her second win from seven starts, adding significantly to her residual value and signalling bigger and better prospects were in her range in the near future.

Purchased for $70,000 at Karaka's Premier Sale from Windsor Park Stud, Swiss Rose hails from a precocious family which includes last season's Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reward for Effort (Exceed and Excel) and Group 2 Maribyrnong Plate winner, Catnipped (Rory's Jester).

A half-brother to Swiss Rose by Falkirk has been catalogued for Karaka 2010 in the Windsor Park Stud draft. At Lot 992 in the Select Sale, the bay son of Falkirk is set to sell on Friday, 5 February.

Catalogues for New Zealand Bloodstock's 2010 National Yearling Sale Series (1-8 February) to be held at Karaka are can be viewed online at http://www.nzb.co.nz/. Hard-copies are currently being posted. To order your own copy contact reception@nzb.co.nz. For hospitality and travel enquiries please contact Hospitality Coordinator Victoria Vela (victoria.vela@nzb.co.nz).

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