Golden strike in Hong Kong
Connections of Natural Gold have had to be patient and their wait was rewarded at Sha Tin on Sunday evening when he shed his maiden tag.
The four-year-old son of Pins had finished runner-up at his previous appearance and the Waikato Stud graduate went one better for trainer Douglas Whyte in the hands of Lyle Hewitson.
Natural Gold was a high-priced yearling when Peter Ho signed the ticket to secure him for $340,000 out of Waikato Stud’s Karaka draft in 2019. He subsequently won a trial for Cambridge trainer Finbarr Leahy at Taupo in 2020 before relocating to Hong Kong.
He was given several trials and has continued to improve with race day experience to post his maiden winning performance over 1400 metres.
Natural Gold is the first foal of the late O’Reilly mare Home Made, who is from one of Matamata nursery’s most successful families.
She is a half-sister to the G3 Lion Red Plate winner Crepe De Chine, Listed Creswick S. winner Glam Slam and a full sister to Arenti, a multiple Singapore black type winner.
The headline acts in the pedigree are the dual Group 1-winning half-siblings Glamour Puss and Vision And Power.
Ocean Park Trans-Tasman Double
With Andrew Forsman’s 3yo Ocean Park filly Pine Leaf breaking her maiden by a widening four and a quarter-lengths in the last at Cambridge on Wednesday, celebrations continued as just ten minutes later it was the Chirs Waller trained Velaris who saluted at Canterbury with fellow Ocean Park runner I Park finishing a gallant third.
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Tivaci’s Movie Night steals the show at Newcastle
A sister to the Gr.1 ATC Flight Stakes (1600m) winner Never Been Kissed, the Waikato Stud-bred and raced Movie Night (NZ) was rewarded for her consistency, breaking her maiden with an all-the-way win over 1400m at Newcastle for trainer Tom Charlton.
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