Another Stakes-Winning Passing for Wentwood Grange

With a spectacular victory in Saturday’s $55,000 Listed FastTrack Insurance Oaks Prelude (1800m) in New Plymouth, Spine Tingle (NZ) (Super Easy) added her name to a remarkable group of Wentwood Grange Karaka graduates.

Offered with a $30,000 reserve during Book 2 of Karaka 2019, Spine Tingle was passed in. She has now followed in the black-type footsteps of Group One winner Valley Girl (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) and Group Two winner and Group One-placed Our Abbadean (NZ) (Lookin at Lucky), who each fell short of their $75,000 reserve in Wentwood Grange’s draft at Karaka 2014.

Like Valley Girl and Our Abbadean, Spine Tingle was retained to race by her breeders, the Hawkins family’s Llanhennock Trust. Trained by Chris Gibbs at Ruakaka, she has now won two of her three starts and $35,300 in stakes.

A last-start maiden winner over 1400 metres, Spine Tingle faced a significant step up in class for Saturday’s three-year-old fillies’ feature. But she passed the big test with flying colours.

Ridden by Lisa Allpress, Spine Tingle trailed the leaders before scything through the inside to take the lead at the top of the home straight. Spine Tingle exploded away, opening up a winning margin of four lengths.

Gibbs will now aim her towards the $400,000 Group One Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 20.

“I didn’t really expect that, but she was very impressive today,” Gibbs told NZ Racing Desk. “She races so well just off the bridle, which I just love about her.

“We made a plan to hug the rail the whole way and hoped the leaders would roll off, and sure enough they did. When Lisa asked her, she sprinted so quickly that I was stunned.

“When we first got her, she looked like she would make a two-year-old and not much after that, but she changed completely and turned into a long, scopey individual who has stayer written all over her.

“We haven’t done that much with her, so after she won her maiden at home, we decided this race would be our main target. I just didn’t know how she would measure up, but she travelled down perfectly, ate and drank everything last night and gave me confidence she would go a good race.

“Today was really where we had put our efforts into, so I’m not sure what to do next. It’s a long trip back home, so she can have an easy time of it while I work out how we get to the Oaks. The good thing is she has qualified now, so I don’t have to worry about that and can pick and choose where we start.”

Vendor	Wentwood Grange
Breeding	Super Easy – Myback
Sale	Lot 822, Karaka 2019 Book 2, Psd (Res $30,000)
Bred by	Llanhennock Trust