Karaka Trifecta in Canterbury Gold Cup

There were three Karaka graduates in the field for Saturday’s $100,000 Group 3 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) at Riccarton, and they finished first, second and third.

The winner was the $44,000 Festival Sale purchase Who Dares Wins (NZ) (Iffraaj), who completed a black-type double for the week. The under-rated gelding had collected the first stakes win of his career in the Listed Easter Cup (1600m) the previous weekend.

Raced by a large and enthusiastic group of owners and trained by Tony and Lyn Prendergast, Who Dares Wins has now had 48 starts for eight wins, 13 placings and $250,963 in stakes – more than five times his purchase price.

Runner-up Residential (NZ) (Pins) was passed in at the 2015 Premier Sale with a $60,000 reserve. Her 38-start career has featured nine wins, nine placings and $280,500 in prizemoney.

Third-placed Dee And Gee (NZ) (Darci Brahma) cost just $16,000 at the 2015 Select Sale and has now earned $189,110.

Who Dares Wins and Residential had finished first and second in last Saturday’s Easter Cup, and it was a repeat result a week later as they took over in the straight from the front-running Dee And Gee.

Residential gave her all both times, but once again it was Who Dares Wins who was better on the day and edged away to win by three-quarters of a length.

“It (the Canterbury Gold Cup) was in the back of our minds after he was beaten on the bob by Saint Emilion (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) last year,” Tony Prendergast told NZ Racing Desk. “It is nice to get some revenge and he deserved this one.

“We only gave him some light trotting and cantering after last week, but he just thrived. Any worries we had were put aside and I think his fitness really showed through in the closing stages.

“He is a far more settled horse this time in and is racing really well because of it. We have changed his gear slightly by replacing the Norton bit we were using with just a conventional one and that has worked well.

“We think there is more in store for him, so if we stay patient, hopefully he can deliver for us.”