Valuable Stakes Success for Po Kare Kare (NZ)

Karaka graduate Po Kare Kare (NZ) (Savabeel) collected the fourth and most valuable victory of her nine-start career with a stylish performance in Saturday’s A$200,000 Group Three Robrick Lodge Triscay Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

The four-year-old mare has now banked A$246,015 in stakes for her 11 owners, along with valuable black type. She was bought by Ellerslie Lodge for $100,000 from Curraghmore’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2020.

Taking a big step up in grade after a midfield finish in Benchmark 78 company on January 21, Po Kare Kare produced an impressive finishing burst from third-last to score by more than a length in the hands of apprentice jockey Tyler Schiller.

“She came out of her last run super, and I was happy to push on to the plan to run here third up,” trainer Bryce Heys said.

“I don’t really get nervous, but I got nervous because of how well she had worked through the early part of the week – I was worried she had left it at home. You never get too far ahead of yourself in this game.

“Credit to Tyler for a ride that required a lot of patience. We were happy to play it and hope that everyone over-played their hand in terms of getting off the fence, and it worked out.

“She is Danehill-free and is a very valuable broodmare prospect now.

“This particular ownership group have been with me since day dot. I appreciate their patronage and following my opinion to going in her. A shout out to the Ace (Michael O’Keeffe, part-owner). He is up in Townsville today. They are Montreal-based, and my dream of training in Sydney wouldn’t be possible without them.

“We have got a little team. Three years ago we had nothing, we started again. We have only bought our own horses and it takes time and we give our yearlings plenty of time.

“But everyone has stuck with me and I am just grateful for that and our little team is up and racing, and they’re racing well.”