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Bargain Filly Wins South Island Title

3 minute read

A filly who cost only $600 as a weanling has been crowned New Zealand Bloodstock’s Southern Filly of the Year.

Courte Zarindi and trainer Sally McKay
Courte Zarindi and trainer Sally McKay Picture: Race Images Photo

Courte Zarindi, by Any Suggestion from the Pentire mare Courte Noire, wrapped up the series when she won Saturday’s Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton, completwng one of the best stories of the New Zealand racing season.

Heading into Saturday’s final leg of the series Courte Zarindi had nine points and a two-point lead over Respin (Power) and Kiwi Ida (Squamosa).

Her Warstep Stakes victory carried her well clear of those rivals with a total of 16 points. She had previously won the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m) before finishing third, beaten by two noses, in the NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m).

Court Zarindi is trained at Invercargill by Sally McKay. It was the second Southern Filly Series title in a row for McKay, who achieved the same feat 12 months ago with Showemup (Showcasing).

But this was extra special, coming at the end of a nerve-racking week.

“She’s sensational to do what she did. It was unreal that she made the race, let alone won it,” McKay said.

“She got a massive boil, the size of an orange, on her wither and she ended up missing about eight days work. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get her to the race.

“I knew on Friday she was coming right, but I was worried about the work she had missed.”

Raced by Bill McNamara and his grandson Sam Fryer, Courte Zarindi has now had 13 starts for four wins, five placings and $93,335 in prize-money – more than 155 times her purchase price.

Bred by Rich Hill Stud, she was bought from their draft for a mere $600 at the 2015 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale.

Courte Zarindi’s fourth dam is the champion mare Horlicks (Three Legs), the Japan Cup and multiple G1 winner and dam of Melbourne Cup winner Brew (Sir Tristram).

NZB Insurance Stakes winner Respin and Canterbury Belle Stakes winner Kiwi Ida shared second spot on the Southern Filly Series table with 7 points apiece.

Warstep Stakes placegetters Za Za Gabor and Wee Gilly picked up their first points of the Series with 4 and 2 respectively.

Mastercraftsman gelding Saint Emilion, passed in for $80,000 as a yearling at the 2013 Karaka Select Sale, has risen to the very highest tier in New Zealand racing.

On Saturday he claimed the 14th win of his outstanding 38-start career, scoring by a nose in the G3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) at Riccarton.

The grey has enjoyed a career-best season in 2017-18, headed by his first G1 win in last month’s New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie.

Saint Emilion went more than a year without success after winning the G3 OMF Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie in November 2016. He ended that losing streak when scoring fresh-up over 1500m a couple of months ago and has now won three of his last four starts.

Saturday’s weight-for-age feature was a strong follow-up, leading all the way to beat the gallant local challenger Who Dares Wins (NZ) (Iffraaj).

Saint Emilion (Mastercraftsman x Roseario by Pentire) is raced by the estate of his late breeder Robyn Horton. He has earned $446,845 in prize-money – more than five and a half times his reserve at the 2013 Select Sale.

Runner-up Who Dares Wins is also a Karaka graduate, bought for $44,000 at the 2014 Festival Sale. He has now had 35 starts for six wins, 11 placings and $139,525 in prize-money.

Saturday’s third placegetter Boots ‘N’ All (Perfectly Ready), was passed in at the 2014 South Island Sale with a reserve of just $5,000. He has had 32 starts for eight wins, 11 placings and $170,415 in stakes.

Megablast
Megablast Picture: Trish Dunell

Megablast, a son of Shinko King who could have been bought for $25,000 at the 2013 NZB Ready to Run Sale, collected the biggest win of his career in Saturday’s G1 Easter Handicap at Pukekohe.

Megablast had previously made a name for himself as a stayer, placing in the G2 Avondale Cup (2400m) and G3 Waikato Cup (2400m) and a close fourth in last year’s G1 Auckland Cup (3200m).

Megablast (Shinko King x Thirst by Desert Sun) has now had 28 starts for nine wins, six placings and $268,736 in prize-money for his owner-breeders Dr John and Di Bowbyes who retained him after he was passed in at the 2013 Ready to Run Sale where he fell short of his $25,000 reserve.

He is the 19th stakes winner by Shinko King including six G1 winners.

Runner-up Brighton was an $8,500 purchase at the 2014 Festival Sale. He has now earned $180,515, with four wins and five placings from 30 starts.

Third-placed Romancer, bought for $110,000 at the 2015 Select Sale, has earned $90,875 in his 14-start career to date. He has picked up four wins and five placings.

The late sire Azamour was responsible for his 39th stakes winner when the Richard Collett-trained 3YO Azaboy won the G2 Championship Stakes at Pukekohe.

Azaboy (Azamour x Cataari by Mantarri) is raced by his syndicate of breeders that include ex-pat Kiwi and Welsh rugby coach Warren Gatland.
Racing and Sports

Pukekohe

Saturday, 21st April 2018

7
16:10
(local)

Easter Hcp (G2)

WT: 52kg Type: OPEN
NZD $100,000
1600m TURF HEAVY
7
16:10
(local)
NZD $100,000
1600m HEAVY

Easter Hcp (G2)

WT: 52kg Type: OPEN

This G2 mile was once the most fabled mile and held at G1 in a New Zealand racing for decades and if you were great then you ran in this race period. Times have changed and raceclub decisions to try and rewrite history sadly have this race, the Easter Handicap, now entrenched as a mediocre G2 mile and now often held on wet ground. It is not even held on Easter Weekend anymore so the drop to G2 means it can only get lower rather than regain any mantle of meaningfulness ever again. Today the field drawn was suspect and shown by the winner of this last year was up 4kg and the rising 7yo a clear topweight ran second favourite too, so nothing had come though in the interim. The best mudder won today in Megablast and he was fresh up too, his most lethal racing state, with the gelding starting favourite albeit a loose one at over $7. The rising 7yo got back eleventh on settling and then was jogging near the home turn but got held up and had to wait for a split before swimming through quickly. He free-styled into second at the 300m and led soon after and was clear at the 100m before winning by less than a length but with plenty in the tank to clock 1:42.32. The time makes the weakish Listed juvenile mile race run and won in 1:42.70 earlier in the day as seeming extraordinary but the Pukekohe track was bad in R3 and here in R7 was a dreadful further rained on and bottomless bog, so the time comparison does not count this time. Megablast was winning his ninth race in twenty-eight starts and eight of those wins have come on slow or heavy ground. Brighton, his stablemate, settled down last then swept up fast deepest across the top and came up third turning for home. He sustained that run and reached second at the 150m plus was strong through the line too. It was his first blacktype earned as an older horse after many attempts with the rising 6yo having a G2 second as a 3yo and a Listed win and placing as a juvenile. Brighton is a shy winner with just four successes to date from thirty starts. Romancer, also just a four-win galloper, was a Listed winner as a 3yo but the now 4yo was G3 placed at 1200m in January and now has a G2 third at the mile. He raced seventh or eighth mostly and swam through at the 400m to lead briefly before the winner gave him the Phelps pool passing treatment. The 4yo ended up beaten over four and a half lengths and is not really a deadest mudlark but he can clearly cope. His sire Redwood does leave swimmers though. Admiral set the pace and was swum past at the 300m and ended up fifth beaten just under six lengths. Platinum Command ran on okay from the rear trio and copped the footing. Brilliant Shine raced seventh wide and moved up fifth deep across the top then strode into second turning for home before the footing anchored him to finish sixth beaten almost seven and a half lengths. Our King Sway ran on from last down the outer and is a noted mudder. The rest got beaten almost a dozen lengths and as much as thirty lengths at the line. Apart from the winner and last year's winner Seventh Up, which ran twelfth today beaten almost twenty-one lengths), there was only two other runners in single figures. Sultan Of Swing floundered the run home and finished ninth beaten almost sixteen lengths and Tiptronic stopped badly to finish fifteenth beaten almost thirty lengths. The race was a dubious field and the result has a big asterisk as it is purely wet track and mudder only relevant. Megablast could beat these on rain-affected footing at a mile and even up to 3200m. The only certainty is the Easter Handicap ain't what it used to be anymore.



FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 3. MEGABLAST (NZ) 6yo G
SHINKO KING (IRE) - THIRST (NZ)
MICHAEL COLEMAN
N W TILEY
$8
57.5kg
Mrs D M & Dr J A Bowbyes

Sales Information

2nd 14. BRIGHTON (NZ) 5yo G
BUFFALO MAN (CAN) - GORE BAY (AUS)
SAMANTHA COLLETT
N W TILEY
$17
52kg
Aston Racing Ltd

Sales Information

3rd 13. ROMANCER (NZ) 4yo G
REDWOOD (GB) - ROMANTICALLY (AUS)
CAMERON LAMMAS
D LOGAN & C GIBBS
$12
52.5kg
O T I Racing (Mgrs: T Henderson & S Driscoll), Mrs L Warwick, C Dawson, Ms K Milliken, Mrs D Milliken, J & Mrs J Spence, L Webb, Ms D McKeown, Ms M Webb, A Brown, W Pelchen, T Porter, Travaglini Racing & Uthmeyer Racing

Sales Information

4th 12. ADMIRAL (NZ) 6yo G
ALIGN (AUS) - PIRATE QUEEN (NZ)
JASMINE FAWCETT
JOHN & STEPHEN RALPH
$16
52kg
5th 11. PLATINUM COMMAND (NZ) 6yo M
RED GIANT (USA) - WEDNESDAY ROCKS (NZ)
R J MYERS
LISA LATTA
$15
52kg

Sales Information

6th 2. BRILLIANT SHINE (NZ) 7yo G
GUILLOTINE (NZ) - BRILLIANT KIWI (NZ)
MARK DU PLESSIS
PETER & DAWN WILLIAMS
$26
57.5kg
7th 10. OUR KING SWAY (NZ) 7yo G
SHINKO KING (IRE) - YENDARRA (NZ)
BARRY JONES
GLEN OLD
$13
53.5kg

Sales Information

8th 16. PRINCE OF PASSION (NZ) 7yo G
CASTLEDALE (IRE) - HIDDEN PASSION (AUS)
TONY ALLAN
JON MILLER
$51
52kg
9th 6. SULTAN OF SWING (NZ) 5yo G
BACHELOR DUKE (USA) - QUEEN CHA CHA (NZ)
SAM WEATHERLEY
SHAUNE RITCHIE
$8.5
56kg

Sales Information

10th 7. ALL ROADS (NZ) 6yo G
ROAD TO ROCK (AUS) - DANCING DAZE (NZ)
CHRIS DELL
T COLE
$26
55kg

Sales Information

11th 9. MAGNUM (NZ) 5yo G
PER INCANTO (USA) - SOUND LOVER (NZ)
DANIELLE JOHNSON
LAUREN BRENNAN
$13
54kg

Sales Information

12th 1. SEVENTH UP (NZ) 7yo G
SHINKO KING (IRE) - REGELLE (NZ)
GRANT COOKSLEY
S HALE
$8.5
59kg

Sales Information

13th 5. RONCHI (NZ) 5yo G
STRAVINSKY (USA) - ROSE OF TRALEE (AUS)
SAM SPRATT
BRUCE WALLACE & ALLAN PEARD
$17
57kg

Sales Information

14th 4. MIME (NZ) 5yo M
MASTERCRAFTSMAN (IRE) - MAIDJEU (NZ)
MATTHEW CAMERON
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$17
57kg

Sales Information

15th 8. TIPTRONIC (NZ) 4yo G
O'REILLY (NZ) - TIPTOES (NZ)
JAKE BAYLISS
GRAHAM RICHARDSON
$9
55kg

Sales Information

16th 15. SACRED RHYTHM (NZ) 4yo M
PENTIRE (GB) - BLUEGRASS (AUS)
TRUDY THORNTON
Moira & Kieran Murdoch
$26
52kg

Sales Information

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