Le Baron Derby Bound for Golan
15 December 2008
Karaka graduate Le Baron shot onto the Derby radar with his Great Northern Guineas Prelude�(2100m) win at Ellerslie yesterday.
Le Baron (Golan - Dame Mapperly, by Volksraad) showed Derby characteristics over the same course that the feature Group 1 $2,200,000 Telecom NZ Derby (2400m) will be run on 28 February, for which he sits at $9 with the TAB. In winning the Listed event, he proved he could jump, find a position and then importantly relax in the running before settling three back on the fence in the hands of James McDonald. Approaching the home turn Le Baron showed Derby toughness to cop a few bumps and be shuffled back before entering the straight where for the first 100m he raced in tight quarters with very little room. Patience from horse and jockey prevailed and as daylight appeared so did Le Baron who exploded away from rest of the field.
Jungle Boots (Jungle Pocket) finished a length off the winner in second, while Late Addition (Traditionally) was a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
Golan himself ran a courageous second to Galileo in the 2001 Group 1 English Derby with Le Baron looking on course to provide his second Derby winner as a sire.
Kibbutz (Misskap by Kaapstad) gave Golan his first Derby win, the 2007 VRC Derby for trainer David Hayes. He is also the sire of another promising stayer out of a Volksraad (Green Desert) mare with the Windsor Park Stud sires combining to produce the winner of four of his last five starts, Castle Heights (ex Caernafon). The four-year-old gelding is now aimed at the Group 1 Wellington and Auckland Cup's early next year.
Both Le Baron and Castle Heights are trained by the Ruakaka combination of Dean and Donna Logan, and Chris Gibbs.
Le Baron sold through the Karaka sales ring twice, purchased for $64,000 at the 2007 Select Sale before being sold to Dominic Li's IDL Racing for $140,000 that same year at the Ready to Run Sale.
Group 1 English Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) winner Golan will be represented by 19 yearlings at Karaka in 2009, including:
Lot 130 - B.F. Golan - Misskap, by Kaapstad - Windsor Park Stud Ltd.
��������� This filly is a full sister to Kibbutz, winner of the 2007 Group 1 VRC Derby.
Lot 162 - B.C. Golan - Our Sportsgirl, by Desert Sun - Windsor Park Stud Ltd.
��������� This colt represents the same Golan/Green Desert cross as Le Baron and Castle Heights. He is a half brother to Group placed Reuben Thorn (Thorn Park), and out of a half-sister to Group 1 NZ Derby winner Wahid.
The weekend's racing saw some significant updates to yearlings catalogued for Karaka 2009:
Lot 77- B.F. Viking Ruler-Lady Dehere: 1/2 sister The Lady (Stravinsky) winner of the Waikato RC Fairview Ford S. L.
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Lot 129 - B.F. Oratorio-Miss Jessie Jay: 1/2 Sister Katie Lee (Pins) 2nd Waikato RC Fairview Ford S. L.
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Lot 142 - B.F. Exceed and Excel-Mrs Squillionaire: 1/2 brother Green Birdie (Catbird) 2nd HKJC �Cathay Pacific International Sprint HK-1.
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Lot 257 - C.C. Pentire-Special Jade: 1/2 brother Jungle Boots (Jungle Pocket) 2nd ARC Great Northern Guineas Prelude L.
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Lot 319 - C.C. Pins-Volkschine: 1/2 brother Mr Thorpedo (Thorn Park) 3rd Waikato RC Fairview Ford S. L
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Lot 434 - B.C. Rock of Gibraltar-Dancing Pago: Brother Rock My Pago �2nd WATC Starstruck Classic L.
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Lot 879 - B.F. One Cool Cat-Tesoro: 1/2 sister Puttanesca (Bertolini) 3rd Manawatu RC Eulogy S. Gr.3
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Lot 986 - B.C. O'Reilly-Ashley Downs: 1/2 sister Can't Keeper Down (Keeper) winner in NZ 2008-09 & 2nd Manawatu RC Eulogy S. Gr.3
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