Cover image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Raceday recap:
Leica Lucy (NZ) (Derryn) proved too good for her rivals when weaving a path to victory in the G3 Desert Gold S., in a performance that has her connections aiming for G1 New Zealand Oaks glory.
Resilient Wolfgang (NZ) (Puccini {NZ}) draws comparisons to his sire when clinching well-deserved G3 Wellington Cup win at Trentham.
A touch of J-Mac magic had Osipenko (NZ) (Pierro) on song for a third stakes victory in the Listed January Cup at Rosehill Gardens, giving McDonald his fourth win of the day.
Improving 3-year-old Garnacho (NZ) (Ace High) toughed it out to win at Flemington for Emma-Lee & David Browne.
Smart Ballon d’Or (NZ) (US Navy Flag {USA}) turned the tables on Komocean (Ocean Park {NZ}) to emerge victorious amongst the 3-year-old sprinters at Trentham.
Shohisha (Supido) will have Group race aspirations after a dominant victory in the Midway H. at Rosehill Gardens.
Leica Lucy on target for NZ Oaks after dominant Desert Gold win
In a replica result to the G3 Eulogy Stakes, Leica Lucy (NZ) (Derryn) once again proved too smart for her rivals, ducking and diving into clear room before exploding away for a dominant win in Saturday’s G3 Desert Gold S. at Trentham on Saturday.
The 3-year-old filly was heavily backed into long odds-on favourite and the race panned out as expected, with Leica Lucy landing in a perfect position, one-out, one back before racing clear to defeat Eulogy runner-up Connello (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) by a comfortable 1.3l. However, trainer Robbie Patterson wasn’t so confident pre-race after seeing her antics behind the gates.
“I was really concerned today, she was above herself at the start,” Patterson said. “She had a week off after her last run, and I hadn’t done a lot with her because I know how long the season is.
“I was watching her get held up and when she got out, she went bang, which is a sign of a good horse.”
The New Plymouth trainer is now eyeing the $1 million G1 New Zealand Oaks for the daughter of Derryn before a potential trip across the Tasman, and he is bullish he has the horse to do it.
"I’ve had some good horses but I think this is the best one I’ve had,” he said. “I want to win an Oaks again and I think I’ve got the right horse for it.
“I’ve won most of the good races here, and (I've) won the Oaks before with Kevin Gray with Legs, who was a great horse, but I actually think this horse is better than Legs - and that’s a big statement because she was a good horse.”
“I’ve had some good horses but I think this is the best one I’ve had, I want to win an Oaks again and I think I’ve got the right horse for it.” - Robbie Patterson
Jockey Craig Grylls was also unsure of how the filly would perform pre-race but was excited by the performance.
“First of all, before the run she was really worked up today,” Grylls said. “The other day she was a bit of a lamb so I was a bit worried, but as soon as she came out she dropped the bit and relaxed beautifully.
“They really bunched up turning in and there wasn’t a lot of options, but good horses get you out of trouble. The gap opened up on the inside and she has done the rest.
“When Robbie legged me up, he said, 'I kept her a bit fresh today, there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge'. She’s going to tighten up really well but she’s exciting.”
The Desert Gold Stakes represented the seventh event in the prestigious New Zealand Bloodstock Filly Of The Year series, currently led by Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) with 21 points. Leica Lucy has climbed to third place with 12 points, with four races remaining, including the New Zealand Oaks on March 22, which will be the series finale.
Bred and raced by the Crofskeys from their late mare Dynamite Lucy (NZ) (Sir Percy {GB}), Leica Lucy comes from an extended family that includes dual Group 1 winner Elevenses (NZ) (Star Way {GB}) and Group 3 winner Just Aqua (NZ) (Justice Prevails). Leica Lucy has now won three of her four races, bringing her total earnings to nearly $195,000.
Wolfgang breaks through in G3 Wellington Cup
Wolfgang (NZ) (Puccini {NZ}) showed a great turn of foot to overpower his opposition and secure his first stakes win in the G3 Wellington Cup at Trentham on Saturday. The time-honoured feature was the 6-year-old’s 13th appearance in stakes grade across Australia and New Zealand, having shown promise right from the outset in his juvenile year, including placing in the Listed Wellesley S. and the G3 Taranaki 2YO Classic.
Recently, Wolfgang had produced sub-par performances when unplaced in the G3 Counties Cup and this month’s G3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Ellerslie, however carried on towards Trentham for Saturday’s career-defining win.
Joe Doyle rode a patient race, allowing Wolfgang to settle in fourth-last position, although the pace was just moderate. As they approached the back straight the tempo began to increase, however, his task looked increasingly difficult as he still spotted the lead at least 10l.
As they reached the home turn, Doyle pulled Wolfgang to the outside, giving him a clear air to make his move. With just a furlong to go, Wolfgang stormed ahead, taking the lead and pulling clear to win by a commanding 1.5l.
It was a win a long time coming for trainers Peter & Shaun McKay.
“This is unreal, I had a little tear there,” Shaun McKay said. “I was never able to ride a 3200-metre winner in my career, but it’s special to be lucky enough to train one today with Dad. Mum and Dad had the stallion too and had some great success with him, so that just makes it even better.
“He (Wolfgang) just showed today that he’s a really tough horse. We tried to get a Group win with him as a 2-year-old and kept going close with placings. We had to be patient, and now he just keeps getting better and better as a 6-year-old. I think he’ll be even better in six months’ time.”
The win has McKay dreaming of the first Tuesday in November.
“He (Wolfgang) just showed today that he’s a really tough horse. We had to be patient, and now he just keeps getting better and better as a 6-year-old. I think he’ll be even better in six months’ time.” - Shaun McKay
“Hopefully we can get him back to Australia next season and pick up a good win there,” he said. “You never know how a horse is going to go over the 3200 metres until you try, but the way he really flew home over that distance today gives us a bit of confidence. It would be amazing to get him to the (G1) Melbourne Cup.”
Wolfgang was bred at Mapperley Stud, which offered him at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2020 where he failed to meet the NZ$50,000 reserve. Simms Davison, the principal of Mapperley, kept him to race with Kim and Peter McKay, who had previously won the G1 New Zealand Derby and G1 Thorndon Mile with Wolfgang’s sire, Puccini (NZ).
Wolfgang is a son of dual winner Navy Beach (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), half-sister to G2 Matamata Breeders' S. winner Te Akau Coup (NZ) (Thorn Park) and closely related to Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor {FR}), winner of the G3 New Zealand Cup this past November. The gelding has now recorded seven wins from 42 starts and earned just over $550,000 in prizemoney.
J-Mac back in action as Osipenko takes January Cup
James McDonald returned to Sydney racing on Friday night at Canterbury with a win at his first ride back and continued in that vein at Rosehill on Saturday, riding his fourth winner for the meeting on the Chris Waller-trained Osipenko (NZ) (Pierro) in the Listed January Cup.
After being nailed on the line by Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in the G3 Summer Cup at Randwick last start, James McDonald ensured there was no such issue this time, giving the gelding a perfect run in transit and allowing the 5-year-old to let down powerfully to secure a 1.23l win over Converge (Frankel {GB}), with 2.88l back to the favourite Saltcoats (NZ) (Ardrossan) in third.
“To be fair to him (Osipenko), he almost should have won a Caulfield Guineas and when you are talking in that kind of grade, and you come into a 2000-metre race going into an Autumn carnival, you’d think he’d have his hoof on the till,” McDonald said.
“He was well placed today, he had lovely run, a good barrier and he did the rest. He was really comfortable throughout, he relaxed well. He felt excellent to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if he nails a couple together.”
“He (Osipenko) was well placed today, he had lovely run, a good barrier and he did the rest. He was really comfortable throughout, he relaxed well. He felt excellent to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if he nails a couple together.” -James McDonald
“He (McDonald) is riding probably no better than he normally does, he is just a very good rider,” said Charlie Duckworth, Waller's assistant trainer. Three of McDonald's Rosehill wins were for the Waller stable, including the exciting 2-year-old Wodeton (Wootton Bassett {GB}). “He sums up races beautifully. We’re going to miss him next weekend.”
The victory marked McDonald’s 50th win for the season and Osipenko’s fourth career win, his third at stakes level. The son of Pierro has now earned almost $1.3 million in 26 starts. McDonald will now fly to Hong Kong where he has a packed book at Sha Tin on Sunday, headlined by Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) in the G1 Stewards' Cup.
Osipenko is the best performed of three foals to race from stakes-placed American mare Raskova (USA) (Henrythenavigator {USA}) and hails from the extended family of champion Shamardal (USA). A full brother to Osipenko was born in August last year, before Raskova visited Coolmore's hot young sire, Home Affairs.
Gallery: Images courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Garnacho on the up after Flemington win
The Emma-Lee & David Browne-trained Garnacho (NZ) (Ace High) labelled himself as a horse on the rise after a determined victory in field of progressive 3-year-olds in the $150,000 3YO H. at Flemington on Saturday.
The son of Ace High over-raced early, when attacked for the lead, before settling in a nice position behind the speed under Damien Lane, one off the fence. Into the straight, the race developed into a two-horse war as Zorro’s Flight (Toronado {Ire}), who was aiming for three wins in a row, and Garnacho went head and head all the way to the line. Ultimately, it was Garnacho who came out on top by the barest of margins.
According to Lane, the most exciting aspect of Garnacho's success was that he remains a work in progress.
“If he (Garnacho) can relax, as he did earlier in his preparation, he has a good turn of foot. That was a tough win as Tom Prebble’s mount (Zorro's Flight) fought hard as well,” Lane said.
David Browne was impressed at the fight Garnacho showed, given his manners early.
“I probably thought he had done enough early as he pulled hard enough and didn’t settle as you’d like in the first 400 metres, and I thought it might have beaten him, but in the end, he was incredibly tough,” Browne said. “He’s come a long way in the last three or four months. He’s tidied up his attitude and he’s now wanting to do things correctly.”
“He’s (Garnacho) come a long way in the last three or four months. He’s tidied up his attitude and he’s now wanting to do things correctly.” - Damian Lane
Emma-Lee & David Browne also trained 2024 G1 Victoria Derby runner-up Scary (NZ) (Shocking) and Browne feels Garnacho is a similar mould.
“He needs to be a bit more tidy with his racing manners. He’s improving as he goes along and once he gets that under control, he’ll be a smart horse,” Browne said.
Browne indicated they won’t make any immediate plans with the gelding but suggested they will step him up in distance at his next start.
Gallery: Images courtesy of Racing Photos
Garnacho (NZ) is the fourth winner from three-time winner Aplomb (NZ) (One Cool Cat {USA}), making him a half-brother to city-winning mare Monfelicity (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}). He also hails from the family of G1 Victoria Derby runner-up Praecido (NZ) (One Cool Cat {USA}) and G1 Thorndon Mile winner Happiness (NZ) (Bluebird {USA}).
Ballon d’Or turns tables on Komocean
Saturday's $65,000 3-year-old sprint at Trentham generated a lot of excitement, largely because of the undefeated Komocean (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), who had made a splash by winning her first two starts, including a 2l victory against Ballon d’Or (NZ) (US Navy Flag {USA}) over the course and distance last start. But the rematch on Saturday had a different result.
Ballon d’Or jumped quickly under Rory Hutchings and swiftly found a good trailing position on the rail behind Kereti (Darci Brahma {NZ}) and Stone The Crows (NZ) (Charm Spirit ({Ire}), while Komocean bungled the start and found herself a conspicuous last after 100 metres.
Ballon d’Or always looked in control from that point onwards, sliding up outside Kereti early in the straight before drawing clear when asked for more of an effort by Hutchings to win by 0.8l, while Komocean failed to come into the race after looming at the top of the straight, finishing a disappointing fifth.
“They don’t come much easier than that,” said Hutchings. “Ballon d’Or has been very consistent and deserved to get a good win down here today.
“Ballon d’Or has been very consistent and deserved to get a good win down here today.” - Rory Hutchings
“I felt we were always in control of the race. Coming on to the course proper, I knew that he was ready to let go. He just doesn’t like to be in front for too long, so I had to time it right. I left it as late as I could before going for the whip, and there was an instant response when I did.”
Co-trainer Shaun McKay was pleased, although the race didn’t pan out as he expected.
“That was a good win today, although it didn’t exactly go to plan,” Shaun McKay said. “I told Rory before the race that we might hopefully end up just behind the favourite, but we ended up flying (out) the gates while she (Komocean) missed it.
“He’s slowly learning and I think he’ll get better and better. I’m not sure where he’ll get to distance-wise. We thought he might be a mile plus type of horse, but he’s shown good ability down the chute today. Maybe we’ll keep him to 1200 to 1400 metres. But he’s got another win on the board now and is progressing well.”
Ballon d’Or was passed in for NZ$40,000 when offered by Elsdon Park at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. The 3-year-old now has two wins and five minor placings from 10 starts, for a little over NZ$75,000 in prizemoney. He is the fifth winner from 2500-metre winner Ireland's Teardrop (Ire) (Fastnet Rock), making him a half-brother G3 Taranaki 2YO Classic-placed Last Sight (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}). Ireland's Teardrop is a half-sister to G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris winner Traffic Jam (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), the dam of Yulong-owned G1 Longchamp Prix de l'Opéra winner Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
Shohisha on stakes path after Rosehill romp
David Payne was glowing in his assessment of Supido filly Shohisha following the filly’s dominant performance in the $120,000 Midway H. at Rosehill on Saturday.
After finishing runner-up to Dance to The Boom (Exceedance) in the Listed Gosford Guineas on resumption, Shohisha was sent out a deserving favourite second-up and relished the drop in grade, finishing all over the top of her older rivals under Kerrin McEvoy to record an emphatic 1.7l victory.
It was a victory the signalled to Payne that she is on the cusp on a stakes win.
“She is an above average filly and has showed me that from day one and she’s got a bright future,” said Payne.
“The track beat her at Gosford - if it was a big track, she wins. She might have one more run in a Group race and then I’ll tip her out again as she still needs to furnish.”
Gallery: Images courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Shohisha was retained to race by her breeder Geoff Evers in partnership and is the first winner from G3 Epona S. winner Consommateur (NZ) (Roc de Cambes {NZ}). It’s also the family of Group 1 winners Magic of Sydney (USA) and Daney Boy (Danehill {USA}). Consommateur has produced a yearling full sister to Shohisha after missing to Supido in 2023 and was covered by him again last spring.