Shadows Cast (NZ) Stars in Flying Stakes

With the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock South Island Sale now live on Gavelhouse Plus, star graduate Shadows Cast (NZ) (Per Incanto) played a timely starring role in Saturday’s $50,000 Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni.

Seven years after he was passed in with a $10,000 reserve at the 2014 edition of the South Island Sale, the chestnut gelding has now taken his career earnings past $600,000.

He has won at least one race in each of the last six consecutive seasons, with an overall career record of 56 starts for 12 wins and 14 placings.

The winner of the Group One Thorndon Mile (1600m) in January 2019, Shadows Cast had gone winless in 16 starts dating back to November of that year. However, he had consistently performed well in between times, placing in the Group One Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) along with six other top-five finishes in Group One or Group Two company.

The eight-year-old dropped down to Listed class on Saturday and had to carry 60kg, but unleashed a withering burst out of midfield to snatch a brilliant victory by a neck.

“I’ve never ridden him before, but I had followed him,” jockey Michael McNab said.

“You always see him out there doing his best, and he did that again today.

“As soon as I got him out into the better part of the track, he really let down. With that weight, it was a very solid effort.”

Shadows Cast is trained locally by Mark Oulaghan, and he is owned by popular Wellington racing identity Ron Cunningham.

“He just never goes a bad race,” Cunningham said fondly.

“He has got the weight he probably deserves, so that was fair enough, but I was just happy with the old horse coming into the race.”

Shadows Cast headed a trifecta of NZB graduates in Saturday’s Flying Stakes. Runner-up Deerfield (NZ) was bought for $80,000 at the 2015 Select Sale and has earned $219,050 in a 29-start, nine-win career.

The third placegetter was Motivation (NZ) (Mastercraftsman), who was passed in at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale. He has now had 28 starts for two wins, 13 placings and $64,650 in stakes.

Alongside fellow Group One winner Signify (NZ) (Perfectly Ready) and another Saturday winner in Markus Aurelius (NZ) (Ghibellines), Shadows Cast is one of a number of quality performers to come out of NZB’s South Island Sale.

Showcasing the best Southern-bred product, this year’s South Island Sale of yearlings is now live and available to view on NZB’s leading online subsidiary Gavelhouse Plus. 

Bidding on the online Sale will commence from Monday 12 April, with the first lot closing incrementally at 7PM (NZT) on Wednesday 14 April. View the catalogue online here. 

Vendor	C.M. Harris
Breeding	Per Incanto – Ages Past
Sale	Lot 118, 2014 National Yearling Sales Series (South Island Session), Psd (Res $10,000)
Bred by	Miss CM Harris