Captivate Captures NZB Breeders' Stakes

Richard Moore's home-bred mare Captivate (Stravinsky x Cappie) took out New Zealand's richest filly and mare race, the Group 1 NZ$150,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m), at Te Aroha on Saturday.

The four-year-old mare is a great grand-daughter of Soliloquy (Sobig x Princess Patine), who now lends her name to the farm from which the Moore's operate at Karaka - Soliloquy Lodge.

Herself a Group 1 winner, Soliloquy produced four stakes winners including the outstanding mare Solveig (Imposing) and has proved an outstanding basis for the family. Stakes-winning Karaka graduates this season, who descend from Soliloquy include Temple Hills (Marju x Soltanto), Gallic (Zabeel x Gesine), Mr Ubiquitous (Tale of the Cat x Zahra) and Solvini (Bertolini x Paris Sky).

A delighted David Moore, Richard's son, said that Captivate will now freshen up and be aimed at a fillies and mares weight-for-age event over 1400m at Rotorua in just over a month's time.

Captivate joins Serenade Rose, Keeninsky and Balmont as Stravinsky's fourth Group 1 winner while providing talented apprentice Samantha Spratt with her first Group 1 win and the same for Ardmore trainer Stephen McKee since commencing training on his own account.

Both second and third place-getters in the Breeders' Stakes were bred by the Chittick family's Waikato Stud. Three-quarters-of-a-length behind Captivate came Irlanda (O'Reilly x Cenphic) with that margin again between her and Sarajay (Danasinga x Sriwijaya).

Both fillies were purchased at the 2005 Karaka Select Sale from Waikato Stud - Irlanda by the Broadway Partnership for NZ$38,000 and Sarajay by Trevor McKee for NZ$32,500.