Back-to-Back Gr.3 Winter Cups for Karla Bruni

Tough winter galloper Karla Bruni (NZ) (Pins) triumphed in her second consecutive Group 3 $100,000 Estaronline 117th Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

Karla Bruni (NZ) victorious in the Group 3 Winter Cup. Photo courtesy of Race Images Chch.

Returning to the scene of her first stakes victory in the same race last year, the daughter of Pins recaptured her best form after a run of misses at her last three starts.

Trained at Awapuni by Roydon Bergerson and part-owned by champion jockey Opie Bosson, who was riding at Ruakaka on Saturday, Karla Bruni was ridden by apprentice Miranda Dravitzki. Bosson shares in the ownership with Bergerson, P G Humphries & C R Sheridan.

Karla Bruni settled in fifth position tracking race-favourite Mighty Matt (NZ) (Any Suggestion). Dravitzki took her mount to the centre of the track in the straight and the mare raced to the lead with 200m to go. The seven-year-old withstood the strong challenges of Marotiri Miss (NZ) (Al Akbar) and Ric O’Shea (NZ) (O’Reilly) to win back-to-back Winter Cups.

“After she won last year we went about planning a return trip this year,” commented Bergerson. “She was a bit disappointing in the Whyte Handicap so we put the blinkers on after that to sharpen her up.

“I told Miranda to put her in the race and be handy. We wanted to follow Mighty Matt into the race, he was a question mark at the 1600m but I knew he would take us into the race for 1400m. Miranda did a great job and rode exactly to plan.”

Karla Bruni will not be back next year to bid for a hat trick of Winter Cups as she is set to go to stud this breeding season.

“She is going to be served by Savabeel soon so will head back to Little Avondale Stud,” said Bergerson. “Before that we might have a crack at the Metric Mile with her.”

The Group 3 Merial Ancare Metric Mile is run on Karla Bruni’s home track of Awapuni in September, a race she finished a close fifth in last year.

Saturday’s win was Karla Bruni’s seventh career victory from 38 starts taking her earnings to $188,960. She was offered at the 2009 Karaka Select Sale but was unable to meet her reserve for Little Avondale Stud.

Bred by Lorraine Jameson, Karla Bruni is out of the unraced Centaine mare Cantante. Karla Bruni is a half-sister to seven-time winner in New Zealand and Hong Kong Tsonga – Best Renown (Towkay). Centaine is prolific broodmare sire with over 100 stakes winners to his credit as a dam sire.