Xtravagant Victory in G1 NZ 2000 Guineas
9 November 2015
Te Akau Racing trained three-year-old Xtravagant (NZ) (Pentire) was a dominant 8.5 length winner of the $400,000 Group 1 Sothys 43rd New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton Park in race record time.
 |
Xtravagant (NZ) victorious in the Group 1 Sothys 43rd New Zealand 2000 Guineas. |
Breaking the time ran by Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj), last year’s winner of the race who earned his second Group 1 victory on Saturday in Melbourne, Xtravagant covered the 1600m in 1.33.59.
Xtravagant is the second Group 1 winner for sire Pentire in the last week following Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire), the winner of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
The two Group 1 winning sons of Pentire were both bred by John Thompson’s Rich Hill Stud who offered them through their yearling drafts at New Zealand Bloodstock.
Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis purchased Xtravagant at the 2014 Karaka Premier Sale for $375,000.
This is Te Akau Racing’s fifth Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas victory having previously won the race with King’s Chapel (King of Kings) in 2003, Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill) in 2005, Tell A Tale (Tale of the Cat) in 2008 and Rock ‘n’ Pop (Fastnet Rock) in 2011, with three of them graduates of Karaka.
Trained by Te Akau Racing’s Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, this was Xtravagant’s fifth start, winning a total of three races, including being a winner on debut as a juvenile and winning last start over 1400m in the Wellington Guineas Trial.
“It was a magnificent run,” commented Autridge. “You always dream of winning Group 1 races and this is just amazing. To win the race in the fast time that he did, you know you’ve got a good horse.”
Beginning quickly from barrier 13 for stable jockey Matthew Cameron, Xtravagant went straight to the lead in company with Amarula (NZ) (Thorn Park) on his outside. The first into the straight, Xtravagant showed an explosive turn of foot off the front to run away for an 8.5 length victory over Battle Paint (NZ) (Battle Paint) in second place with Karaka graduate Serena Miss (NZ) (Iffraaj) in third.
“He is currently on his way home to Te Akau, there has been a paddock kept for him with lots of fresh grass. He will be set for the Bayer Classic at Trentham in January with an aim beyond that to head to the Australian Guineas,” added Autridge.
Owned by the Te Akau 2014 Breeding Syndicate, manged by Ellis, the three-year-old colt has earned $258,000 in prizemoney.
The son of Pentire is out of unraced mare Axiom (Zabeel), making him a full-brother to He’s Remarkable (Pentire), winner of the Group 3 Newmarket Handicap and runner-up in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 Railway Stakes.
Pentire has four two-year-olds catalogued in NZB’s Ready to Run Sale, which will be held next week (18 & 19 November).
Karaka graduates were to the fore across the Tasman on Saturday as well with Turn Me Loose winning the Group 1 Emirates Stakes and Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel) victorious in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes while Rhythm to Spare (NZ) (Pins) and Divan (NZ) (Zabeel) both won races on the undercard at Flemington.
Saturday’s success in Melbourne adds to an impressive haul for NZB graduates over the Melbourne Spring Carnival with Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) winning the Group 1 Caulfield Cup, Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock) triumphant in the Group 1 Victoria Derby along with Prince of Penzance’s famous win in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.
Also to win a stakes race at Riccarton Park on Saturday was Karaka graduate Southern Sav (NZ) (Savabeel), victor of the Listed Gold Club Metropolitan Trophy Handicap.