Group 1 for Sensational Festival Graduate
1 December 2008
Altered Image, a 2007 Karaka Festival Yearling graduate, led his competition home by a dazzling three-and-a-quarter lengths in the Group 1 First Sovereign Trust Levin Classic (1600m) on Friday at Otaki.
The chestnut is from a crop of only 37 foals produced by Strategic Image (Strategic - Golden Snippets, by Snippets) in 2005, the three-year-old gelding being the first Group 1 winner for his sire. Purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock from Belmont Farm for $20,000, Altered Image is conditioned by Mike and Paul Moroney for owners P S Baker, G B D Brown, C F Lindberg, P A Moroney & A H South. Bred by Dean Hawthorne, Altered Image is out of the Danasinga mare, Dented Ambition. He has achieved four wins in eight lifetime starts which include a Listed Stakes win and a third in the Group 2 Hawke's Bay Guineas.
Wayne Larsen of Te Runga Stud listened to the winning race call over the radio while out on the farm doing pregnancy checks. He was thrilled with the win for the progeny of his stallion, Strategic Image, and stated that, "It was a relief as much as anything. From my point of view there has been an expectation for a while that things were heading in the right direction for him as a stallion. The Group 1 win brings focus to a lot of people who are not as familiar with his career as we are. He has taken a clear step up with a group of quality mares and the book he covered this season is the biggest ever. He should have the type of quality horse with a page that will really interest the New Zealand bloodstock buyers."
Strategic Image was a very good sprinter winning stakes races at 3 and 4 over 1000m (Moonee Valley) and 1200m (Morphetville) respectively beating the likes of Rubitano, Sports, and Ateates. His speed and precocity can be traced to his sire Strategic who won the Group 1 Australia Stakes, his grand sire Zeditave who won 5 Group 1 sprints including the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Lightning Stakes, and his broodmare sire Snippets, super sire and winner of three Group1's including the AJC Sires Produce.
Runner up in the Group 1 Sovereign Trust Levin Classic was Spontaneous who is by Spartacus out of the Grosvenor mare Solatno. The three-year-old bay gelding finished third in the ARC Champagne Stakes in his two-year-old campaign and has earnings of $69,275. A half sister to Spontaneous by Bachelor Duke will be on offer at the 2009 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale (28, 29 & 30 January), consigned by The Oaks Stud.
Saturday's racing at Ellerslie, Eagle Farm and Wanganui proved prosperous for New Zealand Bloodstock graduates as well. In the Group 3 Eagle Technology Stakes (1600m) Temple Hills (Marju ex Soltanto) came in first and Samurai (Daggers Drawn ex Wait and Sea) rounded up the placings in third. Temple Hills was a $110,000 purchase at the 2003 Karaka Premier Sale and Samurai went through the same year for $35,000 at the Karaka Select Colts Sale. Rags to Riches (Entrepreneur ex Candescent) added another Listed success to his record at Eagle Farm in the Tattersall's Recognition Stakes Handicap (1600m). A $22,000 purchase at the 2001 Karaka National Broodmare and Weanling Sale, Rags to Riches has proven to be an astute purchase bringing home 14 wins, including the Group 1 ARC Easter Handicap.
Back in New Zealand at Wanganui Racecourse, Karaka graduates formed a trifecta in the feature 2040 m Cambridge Thoroughbred Sales Wanganui Cup (Listed). First was Butch James (Volksraad ex Gillygate), a $40,000 purchase at the 2004 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale, second came Ferreira (Flying Spur ex Cruzeiro)in the 2003 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale and Jonbalena (Lord Ballina ex Desdemona), a $60,000 selection at the 2005 Ready To Run Sale, came in third. A half brother to Ferreira by High Chaparral will be sold by Curraghmore Stud at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale which is held on the 26 & 27 January.