Waisake (NZ) Wins Another Wellington Feature

Quality stayer Waisake (NZ) (Zed) returned to the scene of his biggest triumph and added Saturday’s $55,000 Listed FastTrack Insurance New Zealand St Leger (2600m) to his trophy cabinet.

The race was run at Trentham, where Waisake was a last-start winner of the $250,000 Wellington Cup (3200m) on January 30. Bought for $1,100 at the 2015 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale, and for $28,000 at the Karaka Festival Sale the following year, Waisake has now had 24 starts for seven wins, four placings and $249,745 in stakes.

There were a few nervous moments early in Saturday’s race as Waisake found himself trapped three wide, but apprentice jockey Hazel Schofer decided to roll forward to find a better position.

The hot favourite surged past half a dozen rivals and moved up to sit on the outside of the front-running Lincoln King (NZ) (Shocking).

The result was never in much doubt from there, as Waisake kicked clear at the top of the straight and romped home by two and a half lengths.

“You can’t sit three wide for two bends, but he found his comfort zone in the back straight and he was clearly the best horse in the race,” trainer and part-owner Allan Sharrock said.

“He hadn’t raced for six weeks. I had done as much as I could with him, but you can’t beat race fitness. In the end though, he was authoritative.

“That’s likely it for him for now, and we’ll look towards the New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Wellington Cup (3200m) next season.”

Waisake has now earned nine times his purchase price at the 2016 Festival Sale, and almost 250 times what he cost as a weanling.

Meanwhile, St Leger runner-up Skyphyta (NZ) (Pierro) is also a Karaka graduate. He was offered at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale, where he was passed in. Retained by his breeders Jim Sweetensen and Mark Goodwin, the six-year-old gelding has had 21 starts for four wins, seven placings and $82,887 in stakes.