Group One Glory on Both Sides of Tasman for Karaka Graduates

Graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock Sales enjoyed a special Saturday of racing in New Zealand and Australia, winning coveted Group One prizes on both sides of the Tasman.

Tarzino Trophy Triumph for Callsign Mav (NZ)

Saturday’s $200,000 Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) produced a remarkable victory by Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante), who cost only $3,000 as a weanling at the 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka.

Trained locally by John Bary, Callsign Mav had been a Group Two performer last season when second behind the top-class Catalyst (NZ) (Darci Brahma) in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) over the same course and distance. However, the Tarzino Trophy was by far his toughest test to date, coming up against five Group One winners and another three who had placed at the elite level.

But Callsign Mav rose to the challenge. Ridden perfectly by Jonathan Riddell, the four-year-old slid forward from his midfield draw and enjoyed a smooth run in third behind Deerfield (NZ) (Falkirk) and The Mitigator (Master of Design).

Riddell drove Callsign Mav through in between those two runners at the top of the straight, and the local galloper kicked clear with a powerful burst of speed.

He kept kicking and proved too strong for his star-studded opposition, winning by three-quarters of a length from the fast-finishing Supera (NZ) (Savabeel), Avantage (Fastnet Rock) and Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle).

“I couldn’t believe how well the horse was going when the split opened,” Riddell said. “He was strong to the line, he just kept going. Full credit to John and all of his team.”

Raced by Bary in partnership with six others, Callsign Mav has now had 11 starts for four wins, three second placings and $188,000 in stakes – more than 60 times his purchase price.

“I had a bit of confidence that he’d run well today,” Bary said. “His jumpouts had been good and his trial was great. We’d just been behind the scenes, attracting no attention with the likes of Avantage and others in the field.

“It was a 10-out-of-10 ride from Jonathan. He slid forward from a nice gate, got in the trail beautifully and put the horse to sleep. Then he produced him at the right time and he kicked away really well.

“It’s a great result. It’s one thing to race well against your own age group at three, but you always wonder whether you’ll be able to come out and do it again at four against those bigger, hardened criminals. He’s done it today.

“Outside of me, all of the owners are Australians, and this is their first Group One win.”

Bred by Windsor Park Stud, Callsign Mav is the first Group One winner for Atlante (Fastnet Rock), who stood at Mapperley Stud until his untimely death in December 2016.

Vendor	Windsor Park Stud
Purchaser	Ms EL Holmes
Breeding	Atlante – Raadisi
Sale	Lot 233, 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale, $3,000
Bred by	Windsor Park Stud

More Spring Riches for Kolding (NZ)

Karaka graduate Kolding (NZ) (Ocean Park) was a star of the 2019 Sydney spring, and he returned to the spotlight on Saturday with a brilliant victory in the A$500,000 Group One Fujitsu George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.

Bought for $170,000 at the 2017 Premier Yearling Sale, Kolding burst on to the scene 12 months ago with victories in the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) and the inaugural A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m).

A run of bad luck had followed since then, but Kolding proved on Saturday that he remains a high-class racehorse. Prominently positioned and travelling comfortably throughout the race, he made his move in the straight and swept to the lead.

Fellow Kiwi-bred runner Star of the Seas (NZ) (Ocean Park) provided a fierce late challenge, but Kolding dug deep and prevailed by a long neck.

Raced by Neville Morgan, Kolding has now had 23 starts for nine wins, five placings and over A$5.6 million in stakes – 35 times his purchase price.

Saturday’s result was a relief for trainer Chris Waller, who never doubted that Kolding’s class would again shine through.

“He’s certainly proved today that he’s back,” the champion horseman said. “But in my mind, he never left. Things just haven’t gone his way. You can’t win these races if you aren’t right, and we haven’t panicked. He just needed some fine-tuning.”

Jockey Tommy Berry was impressed with his mount’s performance on Saturday.

“It’s good to see him return to form in his last couple of runs,” he said. “The dry tracks have been a big help to him.

“He’s usually better ridden with a bit of cover, but we found a race today where it was only going to end up one way and that was him being outside Dreamforce. He switched off really well for me and finished strongly at the end.

“Just a great training effort and a great, tough effort by the horse.”

Remarkably, both Kolding and runner-up Star of the Seas are progeny of Waikato Stud stallion Ocean Park, while expat New Zealander Waller saddled all of the first four horses home.

Vendor	Wentwood Grange
Purchaser	Mulcaster Bloodstock
Breeding	Ocean Park – Magic Star
Sale	Lot 269, 2017 Premier Sale, $170,000
Bred by	W Pegg

Probabeel (NZ) Powerful in Bill Ritchie

Top-class Karaka graduate Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) added another trophy to her collection in Saturday’s A$160,000 Group Three Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick.

Bought for $380,000 in Book 1 of Karaka 2018 by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, Probabeel has won seven of her 17 starts including the Group One Surround Stakes (1400m), the $1m Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) and the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m).

She has earned more than $1.9 million in stakes for Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay – five times her purchase price.

Probabeel had caught the eye with a barnstorming finish for second when she resumed in the Group Three Show County Quality (1200m) on August 22, and she took another step forward on Saturday with a dominant performance over a slightly longer distance.

Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy for trainer Jamie Richards, Probabeel stalked the leaders up to the home turn, then angled out into the clear and cruised past to win by a length and a quarter.

“It was a fantastic win,” Richards said. “We were really happy with her first-up run. She’d come on from a trial since then, and she stripped in good shape.

“Ashley Handley and Craig Thornton are over there looking after the horses and I’d like to thank them for the sacrifices they’ve made, being away from family – particularly Ashley, who has been away for so long.

“I thought Kerrin McEvoy gave her a perfect trip, having explained to me on the phone what he wanted to do, and he carried it out with pinpoint accuracy.

“It’s a nice lead-up to the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) in a couple of weeks, and hopefully she can draw a decent gate and strike a good track.”

McEvoy was confident in the lead-up to Saturday’s race, and Probabeel lived up to his high expectations.

“Today looked ideal for her, second-up and out a little bit in trip,” he said. “They’ve done a great job with her over here and Jamie has obviously done a good job from back home.

“She’s a lovely mare to ride and she’ll go out to the mile now and prove very hard to beat in the Epsom. She’ll have a nice weight on her back. That’s obviously a very competitive race, but she goes there with a great chance, she still has a nice improvement to come out of this race today.”

Vendor	Waikato Stud
Purchaser	Mr DC Ellis
Breeding	Savabeel – Far Fetched
Sale	Lot 203, 2018 Book 1, $380,000
Bred by	G J Chittick