Stockman (NZ) Superb on Sunshine Coast

Quality Sydney stayer Stockman (NZ) (Tavistock) headed north to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday and carried on his stellar form, scoring an emphatic victory in the A$175,000 Listed Allchin Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Caloundra Cup (2400m). 

Bought for $175,000 from Cambridge Stud’s draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2018, Stockman has now had 22 starts for six wins, eight placings and A$413,265 in stakes.

The four-year-old had been an impressive performer through his recent starts in Sydney, including a strong-finishing second at Randwick, a third in the Listed Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill and a commanding last-start win in Rosehill’s Listed WJ McKell Cup (2000m).

Sunday was more of the same as jockey Ryan Maloney sat in a handy position in third before driving through the inside to take a clear lead at the top of the home straight.

Cellarmaid (Husson) and Happy Go Plucky (Pluck) tried their hardest to eat into his advantage, but Stockman held them out to score by half a length.

“He was certainly the class runner in the race, and with the weight in his favour it was pretty much all over bar the shouting,” Maloney said. “At the furlong (200 metres) he was labouring a little bit, but then when Cellarmaid came up to me, he just found enough.

“He does no work on himself during the run, and I got going on the corner and I knew we would stay the trip.

“He was so dominant the other day, so it was always going to be hard to replicate, but he found enough.”

Trained by Joe Pride for a Proven Thoroughbreds syndicate, Stockman is by Cambridge Stud’s former high-class sire Tavistock (NZ) out of the multiple Group Two winner Crimson (NZ) (Zabeel), who is also the dam of Group One performers Miss Scarlatti (NZ) (Stravinsky) and Abidewithme (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice).

The Caloundra Cup has been a hugely successful race for stayers bred or sold in New Zealand, with the (NZ) suffix being attached to 14 winners since 2000.