Valuable Black Type for Volks Lightning (NZ)

Four Karaka graduates combined for a spectacular finish in Saturday’s $70,000 Group 3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m) at Rotorua, with Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad) scoring by a nose from Indecision (NZ) (Per Incanto), Julius (NZ) (Swiss Ace) and Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge).

Group 1-placed last season in the Sistema Railway (1200m), the $60,000 Ready to Run Sale purchase Volks Lightning claimed a deserved black-type win with a relentless front-running performance.

The six-year-old flew out of the gates and dominated the race from there, producing a strong kick at the top of the straight for rider Jake Bayliss. She clung on by a nose in a heart-stopping four-way finish. Indecision was second by a long head from Julius, with Volpe Veloce another nose back in fourth.

“She gave a really good kick at the corner and gave them something to chase,” Bayliss said. “Coming into this race fresh, first-up, it was a gutsy win.”

Trained by Team Rogerson for cricket star Brendon McCullum’s Vermair Volks Lightning Syndicate, Volks Lightning has won five of her 28 starts and $185,652 in prize-money – more than three times her purchase price.

“It was a bit nerve-racking at the end, I didn’t know if we’d got it,” co-trainer Debbie Rogerson said. “But we got the result. I’m thrilled for the owners and for the horse, because she really deserved to win a Group race.”

In addition to her Group 1 Railway placing on New Year’s Day, Volks Lightning had also been placed in the Group 3 Darley Plate (1200m), Mr Tiz Trophy (1200m) and Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).

Runner-up Indecision was a $260,000 purchase at the 2015 Premier Sale, and she added today’s Group 3 placing to her win in the Listed NZB Finance Sprint (1200m) earlier this year.

Third-placed Julius cost $44,000 at the 2013 Select Sale. With seven wins and six placings from 13 starts, he has earned $228,025 in prize-money.

Volpe Veloce, a $240,000 Premier Sale graduate, is a Group 1 winner and has earned $478,500 in stakes.

Volks Lightning is the latest in a long line of stakes winners bought out of the Ready to Run Sale. The 2018 Ready to Run Sale will be held at Karaka on November 21 and 22.