Relation to Guns at Five at NZ RTR

The talented stayer Guns at Five (NZ) (Duelled) produced his best form on Saturday with a comprehensive win in the Listed $50,000 Agrodome Rotorua Plate over 1950m.

Guns at Five (NZ) winning the Listed Argodome Rotorua Plate on Saturday.

The second dam of Guns at Five, Heartache (Casual Lies) is the dam of Lot 29 at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale.

The former New Zealand St Leger winner came into the race second up following an unplaced run over 1400m at Taupo earlier this month, a distance short of his best but he was seen running on strongly late in the race.

The six-year-old stepped up to a distance that was more to his liking on Saturday and was allotted the top weight of 59kgs.

Trained by Chris Wood, Guns at Five enjoyed a comfortable rails run around mid-field for jockey Trudy Thornton. The gelding was produced at the top of the short Rotorua straight by Thornton and quickly broke away from the field with a sharp turn-of-foot.

The race was in safe keeping with Guns at Five establishing a winning break in the straight and Thornton allowed her mount to coast to the finishing post to win by 2.7 lengths, with the challengers chasing in vain.

“I was confident during the running, around the 1000m-800m mark, I thought he was travelling exceptionally well and I always thought he was going to roll into,” commented Wood.

“I did have a bit of a fear that his condition was going to run out, he hasn’t had much luck this time in.

“He has had two trips to the races, one to Hawke’s Bay and one to Ruakaka, and they were both called off so I thought I might have been behind the eight ball a little bit but he is reasonably cleaned winded so I was hoping his condition wouldn’t give out and obviously it didn’t.

“I took him over to Australia and he had one run for me then stayed there with Peter Moody and had five runs. He went a good race fresh up for Moody when he ran third then his form tapered off after that.

“He didn’t really settle into the Australian way of doing things and he has got back to New Zealand, spending time out in the paddock during the day and is a happy horse and performed like a happy horse on Saturday.

“He has pulled up good and he will probably go to the Fielding Cup in a couple of weeks’ time then straight to the New Zealand Cup from there.”

The son of Duelled has won eight of his 32 career starts that included an unsuccessful Australian campaign last year. It was the gelding’s second stakes victory and he has earned his owners, Ken Bee Sports (Aust) Pty Ltd, $158,451 in prizemoney.

Guns at Five is a half-brother to last season’s Karaka Million runner up Fantastic Honour (Any Suggestion) being out of the Cape Cross mare Accidentallyinlove, a half-sister to Australian Group 2 winner Sworn to Secrecy (Keeper).

Bred by C R & G J Dando, Guns at Five was purchased by Mrs M C Harkema at the 2008 National Weanling Sale from Blandford Lodge for $12,000.