Cover image courtesy of Race Images - Peter Rubery
Trentham: G1 Thordon Mile, NZ$300,000, 1600m
The more he was challenged, the more he found and it was a gutsy, determined big race victory for He's A Doozy (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}).
Already a dual Group 3 winner, he is one of his sire's eight stakes winners and his second Group 1 winner.
Bred by the Dennis family, he was sold through the Phoenix Farm draft at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, purchased for NZ$70,000 by trainer Lisa Latta.
He's A Doozy's four-time-winning dam The Dewdrop (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) is out the Group 3-placed The Poseur (NZ) (Truly Vain) whose dam is the wonderful race and broodmare The Dimple (NZ) (Noble Bijou {USA}) - winner of 16 races (three in Group 3 company) and dam of nine winners including the G1 Auckland Cup hero Irish Chance (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}), the G3 Manawatu Classic winner The Cheek (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}) and the dual Listed winner The Grin (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}).
What a family this 'The' family has been for New Zealand, its other members including the elite-level winners The Phantom (NZ) (Noble Bijou {USA}), The Phantom Chance (NZ) (Noble Bijou {USA}), The Jewel (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}), The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel), La Diosa (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}) and The Perfect Pink (NZ) (Savabeel).
The Dewdrop was due to Ancient Spirit (Ger) last spring (Stud Book website yet to be updated) having had the two previous years off. Sadly the only foal she has had since producing He's A Doozy - a Ghibellines filly - died.
G3 Wellington Cup, NZ$300,000, 3200m
A surprise result to this staying test with the imported Leaderboard (USA) (Street Cry {Ire}) saluting at big odds after getting to the better going on the outside rail.
Last year's Listed New Zealand St Leger winner is one of his late sire's 134 stakes winners.
Bred by Godolphin, he is one of three winners for the winner Flower Fairy (USA) (Dynaformer {USA}) whose dam is the Listed Sirenia S. winner Santolina (USA) (Boundary {USA}) - half-sister to the G3 Lafayette S. winner Trafalger (USA) (Storm Bird {Can}).
Leaderboard is a descendant of the legendary matriarch Pretty Polly (GB) (Gallinule {GB}). He is a seven-time winner from 42 starts and has been in New Zealand since 2019 - in the spring of that year saluting at only his second local outing.
G3 Desert Gold S., NZ$100,000, 1600m
Giving a nice kick in the run home having swung out very wide on the heavy going, Mazzolino (NZ) (Savabeel) added a valuable black-type victory to her two stakes placings.
Recording the third success of her nine-start career, Mazzolino (Italian for 'posy'), is the 130th stakes winner for her Waikato Stud-based sire - and she was bred and is raced by them.
She is a full sister to the dual Group and two-time Listed winner Atishu (NZ) out of the metropolitan winner Posy (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}), half-sister to the NZ Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}).
A regular visitor to Savabeel, Posy boasts amongst her relations the Group 1 winners Good Faith (NZ) (Straight Strike {USA}) and Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).
Mazzolino's grandsire Zabeel (NZ) is bred on a Sir Gaylord (USA)/Nureyev (USA) cross whilst Posy is bred on the opposite. Another highlight of her pedigree is the presence of the close relations Northern Dancer (Can), Halo (USA) and Machiavellian (USA).
Riccarton Park: Listed Timaru S., NZ$65,000, 1400m
It was quite a remarkable win recorded by Phelan The Power (NZ) (Power {GB}) who was clearly headed - in fact by a decent margin - in the run home only to dig deep, fight back and put his nose out on the line.
Bred by the Smith family who remain in the ownership, Phelan The Power is the 26th stakes winner for his Oaklands Stud-based sire.
The five-time winner whose previous black type was a G3 Bakeries Mile placing is the last of five foals produced by the winner Layla Rose (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}).
Also dam of the Sandown winner Over The Sky (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), Layla Rose - who died in 2018 - is a full sister to the dual Group winner Irlanda (NZ) and to the Group 3-placed Chandelier (NZ), dam of the dual Group 1 winner Mo'unga (NZ) (Savabeel).
Bred on a 5 X 5 cross of the great Mill Reef (USA), Phelan Powr can also count amongst his relations the G1 Auckland Cup winner Chenille (NZ) (Pentire {GB}).
