Sizzling Stewards Stakes Win by Soubrettes (NZ)

13 November 2014

Up-and-coming South Island sprinter Soubrettes (NZ) (High Chaparral) added to her impressive winning record with a brilliant victory in the Group 3 $100,000 Lindauer Stewards Stakes Handicap (1200m) at Riccarton Park yesterday.

SOUBRETTES Stewards RI Chch

Soubrettes (NZ) wins the Group 3 Lindauer Stewards Stakes Handicap with her ears pricked. 
Photo courtesy of Race Images Christchurch.

A winner of three of her four career starts heading into the race, Soubrettes made the step up to Group 3 level effortlessly as she unleashed a devastating finishing burst to win by 3.5 lengths for trainers Mandy and Matt Brown.

“To win like that, we were pleasantly surprised,” commented Matt Brown. “We knew she had the ability but at the end of the day she had only had four starts so she is still a bit immature and learning how to race.

“David (Walsh) said to us a couple of starts ago when he asked her to go she just accelerated and he said ‘good horses accelerate for 50m but she went for 200m and hadn’t finished’ and he said then she was something out of the box.

“She is not a big filly so we thought while we are down in the weights we would have a go at one of the better races and obviously managed to be successful.”

David Walsh, the record holder for the most wins by a New Zealand jockey, was aboard Soubrettes and had the daughter of High Chaparral traveling mid-field and three-wide around the dog-leg 1200m course.

When Walsh asked Soubrettes to quicken in the straight she responded by putting three-lengths on the field in a flash and cruised to the line to record a most impressive win in a quick time of 1.08.68.

“To come home the last 600 in a tick over 33 seconds and to run away from horses like Natuzzi was pretty impressive,” said Brown.

“At this stage we will keep her sprinting, she is out of more of a sprinting family and we won’t be trying her over ground any time soon.

“She is out in the paddock for two weeks and we will consider our options. She is nominated for the Telegraph - that is definitely on the programme all going to plan.”

Yesterday’s victory was Soubrettes’ fourth win from only five starts and the four-year-old mare has earned $90,485 in prizemoney for her owners Octagon Bloodstock Ltd.

Octagon Bloodstock Ltd purchased Soubrettes for $50,000 from the 2012 Karaka Select Sale from Windsor Park Stud.

Bred by Windsor Park Stud, Soubrettes is out of Burlesque (Thorn Park), a winner over 1000m and 1200m. Burlesque is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Star Satire (Volksraad), the dam of Group 2 winners Satin Shoes (Flying Spur) and Zarzuela (Zabeel).

Soubrettes was one of two stakes winners for Karaka at Riccarton Park yesterday with Slice of Class (NZ) (Guillotine) winning the Group 3 Valachi Downs Canterbury Breeders Stakes.

New Zealand Bloodstock sponsored the NZB Ready to Run Sale 3YO 1400m at Riccarton Park yesterday, won by the Michael and Matthew Pitman trained Another Coup (NZ) (Darci Brahma). As the winning trainers, the Pitman’s also won the Ready to Run Sale prize package which includes:

  • $500 towards personal travel and accommodation for NZB’s Ready to Run Sale.
  • FREE New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance policy for a Ready to Run Sale purchase up to $50,000.
  • FREE transport of a Ready to Run Sale purchase on Majestic Horse Floats to the trainer’s stable.
  • A one year subscription to The Informant Online.

For more news and information from New Zealand Bloodstock visit www.nzb.co.nz. To view the catalogue for the Ready to Run Sale, click here.