Quinella for South Island Sale Graduates in Singapore

NZB South Island Sale graduate Kubera Warrior (NZ) (Coats Choice) won the first leg of the 2015 Singapore Golden Horseshoe Series for two-year-olds in Singapore last night with the running of the S$90,000 Inglis Sydney Juvenile Stakes Open 2YO (1000m).

Kubera Warrior (NZ) winner of the first leg of the Singapore Golden Horseshoe Series. Photo courtesy of the STC.

The Golden Horseshoe Series began in 2011, consisting of six legs with the final leg of the Series held on 15 May with the Sgp-2 S$325,000 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) at Singapore Turf Club.

Kiwi-bred horses have enjoyed past success in the Series with War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Kiwi Karma (NZ) (Fast ‘N’ Famous) winning the 2013 and 2014 editions respectively.

This was Kubera Warrior’s second start for trainer Leslie Khoo, after his racing debut just two weeks earlier where he finished as runner-up over 1200m.

“I was quite confident he could win from the way he ran at his debut,” commented Khoo. “I just told Alan (Munro) to let him roll to the front and dictate terms from there. He won very easily in the end.

“He’s got the raw talent. The winkers helped but I think he’ll be even better with blinkers. I think he can go over a bit of a trip as well.”

Beginning from barrier 2, Kubera Warrior was ridden by Alan Munro and was the first horse to jump as the gates opened. The Coats Choice gelding followed the rail while Bail Out (All American) raced to the outside of him in the lead.

Switching positions on the turn for home, Kubera Warrior took over as the leader and sprinted the final 300 metres to race in for a clear victory by 1.8 lengths. Finishing the race in second place was a second runner for Coats Choice and also a South Island Sale graduate Fine Choice (NZ) (Coats Choice), and in third place was Celeritas (Sequalo).

The two-year-old Coats Choice gelding has now earned S$62,133 for his owner and trainer Khoo.

Kubera Warrior was purchased at the 2014 NZB National Yearling Sales Series: South Island Session of the South Island Sale for $21,000 by NZB as agent from Berkley Stud.

Bred by Alan Jones and Edwina Morris of Berkley Stud, the Coats Choice gelding is out of winning mare Raewyn Coup (Mossman) and is a half-sister to the dam of Mr Profumo – Here Comes Thunder (MAL.) (Falvelon), winner of the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes.

NZB’s South Island Sale will take place on Friday 17 April at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch. Popular South Island sire Coats Choice has one of the largest drafts with nine yearlings catalogued.

To request a catalogue for New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale, contact Faye Hunt at [email protected] or for news and Sales information visit www.nzb.co.nz.