Line Seeker wins Griffin Trophy

29 December 2014

Line Seeker led throughout and held on desperately in the closing stages to hold off Sky Hero to win the Griffin Trophy by a narrow margin at Sha Tin racecourse yesterday.

Strathmore pressed the winner from the start and finished third with Dashing Fellow fourth in this HK$2 million contest.

The win was the second in a row for Line Seeker, sent off as top favourite in a field of 13. The son of O’Reilly, ridden by Zac Purton, covered the 1400m distance in 1m 21.70s, with the final 400m in 22.95s.

“He really got tired the last bit but he ran a 22.06s in the middle and he did a bit,” said winning trainer Paul O’Sullivan, who teamed up with Purton to win the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint with Aerovelocity a fortnight ago.

O’Sullivan said he may drop Line Seeker back to 1200m for his next start, but he was more than glowing in his assessment of the O’Reilly gelding’s ability.

“You won’t be seeing him for another two, three runs this season. He could come back and be a nice sprinter later on,” the New Zealand handler said. “He is a very skinny, long horse but he is very athletic. He is never going to be big and strong like me.”

Super Seth 3YO remains unbeaten

Puntin, trained by Bjorn Baker, maintained his unbeaten record with an effortless win at Moruya. The son of Super Seth stepped up to 1400 metres, dominating older rivals to win by four lengths. Bred by GSA Bloodstock, Puntin hails from a stellar pedigree featuring Group winners Shania Dane and Scintillation.

6 January 2025

Max makes it count at Otaki

Waikato Stud graduate Mad Max (Maxmara), a son of Savabeel, broke through for a deserved maiden win at Otaki under apprentice Lily Sutherland. Trained by Andrew Forsman, the well-bred four-year-old impressed with a strong finish over 1200 metres, boosting confidence after earlier placings and showcasing his elite pedigree and potential.