Full-Sister to Irish Fling at Karaka 2014

First-time Karaka Premier Sale vendor Milan Park achieved a dream result when Irish Fling (NZ) (Darci Brahma) captured the Group 1 $250,000 J&N Berkett Telegraph Handicap (1200m) at Trentham, with the Stud offering a full-sister to the mare in the Premier Sale next week.

Irish Fling (NZ) wins the Group 1 J&N Berkett Telegraph Handicap.

Irish Fling was bred and is owned by Tony Rider who operates Milan Park along with his daughter Nicole. They will offer a full-sister who is catalogued at Lot 59 on the first day of the Premier Sale (Monday 27 January). Milan Park has five yearlings in the Premier Sale.

The five-year-old mare trained by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen entered the race having not raced since November when third in the Group 3 Stewards Stakes at Riccarton in the New Zealand Cup Week carnival.

Ridden by Mark du Plessis, who had already won the Group 1 Levin Classic earlier in the day, Irish Fling found open spaces in the centre of the track and du Plessis unleashed the mare in the final two hundred metres. Natuzzi (NZ) (Coats Choice) got an inside run and tried valiantly to go with Irish Fling but the Darci Brahma mare was too strong and won by a neck, with Jaggard (NZ) (Falkirk) 1.6 lengths away in third.

“We were confident she was really well in herself and was a happy horse but you are never confident going into a Group 1, especially fresh,” said Guy Lowry.

“We were hoping we had done enough work, we have a swimming pool at home so we would work her in the morning and swim in the afternoon which lifted her workload enough to get her over the line.

“When she won her maiden she was pretty devastating and after that we had a few issues with her and she went some average races but she learnt how to race. She has come back this time in and put it all together, touch wood we haven’t had any problems.

“I have been training for Tony (Rider) for a while and we have become pretty good mates so I was lucky enough to get this horse.

“The mare (Irish Belle) was a fairly handy mare and I have trained a couple out of the mare which always showed plenty but neither had much luck.

“We are rapt with winning the Telegraph, we were just happy to have a runner it. Value wise for the mare it would be great to get some black-type in Australia so we will plan on getting her to Group 1 Galaxy, she races very well fresh.”

Saturday’s Group 1 was the fifth victory from 15 starts for Irish Fling, and her second stakes success following her win in the Listed Pegasus Stakes in November. She has earned $210,375 in stakes for her owners the Pak n Save Syndicate.

The win notched a Group 1 double for Darci Brahma having sired Recite (NZ) (Darci Brahma) to success in the Group 1 Levin Classic earlier in the day at Trentham. Darci Brahma has 52 yearlings catalogued at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales Series next week.

Irish Fling is out of the Listed placed mare Irish Belle (O’Reilly), a daughter of dual Group 2 winner Society Bay (Zephyr Bay) and is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Society Beau (Bigstone).