Trobriand Completes Impressive Treble in Eclipse

Exciting two-year-old Trobriand (Kermadec) added a black-type tinge to his flawless record with another impressive performance in the $140,000 Group Two Carlaw Park Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa on New Year’s Day.

The colt, who was bought by David Ellis for $260,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2022, has now won all of his three starts and earned $117,090. Sunday’s victory made him a leading contender for the $1m DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) at Pukekohe later this month, and it also delivered a notable pedigree update for a half-brother catalogued for Book 1 of Karaka 2023.

Trobriand has always been held in high regard by Te Akau Racing and their premiership-leading trainer Mark Walker, and he had lived up to that billing with strong wins at New Plymouth and Te Rapa in his first two appearances. The bar was raised sharply for his third career start in Sunday’s Eclipse Stakes, but the result was the same.

Sent forward by jockey Opie Bosson to sit outside the front-running Ulanova (NZ) (Santos) through the early stages of the race, Trobriand began to warm into his work after rounding the home bend. He slowly but surely asserted his superiority over a game Ulanova, then lifted again to hold out the late challenges of his stablemate Talisker (NZ) (Embellish) and the Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall-trained To Catch A Thief (U S Navy Flag).

Trobriand was comfortably ahead again at the finish, crossing the line with three-quarters of a length to spare over Talisker. To Catch A Thief was the same margin away in third.

“He just does what he has to,” Bosson said. “He’s such a professional little horse.

“The blinkers helped him out today and although I had to work a little from the wide gate, he relaxed well outside the leader and did the job well. He is such a laid-back type, and the blinkers just sharpened him up that little bit. He was travelling nicely and had a good kick. The strong 1200 metres was right up his alley today.

“Now it’s all about working out which is the right horse to ride in the Karaka Million. I’ll go home and have a talk to the bosses and sort it all out.”

Trobriand’s breeders Windsor Park Stud will offer his half-brother on the opening day of Karaka 2023 on January 29, with a colt by Russian Revolution going through the ring as Lot 39. Trobriand is the first foal to race out of his dam Arboreal (Lonhro), who is a daughter of stakes-winning Australian mare Koala Bear (Exceed And Excel).

Both of the Eclipse Stakes placegetters are also Karaka 2022 graduates, with Talisker being bought by Ellis for $70,000 and To Catch A Thief knocked down to Stuart Hale & Co for $160,000.