Saturday double for Ocean Park with Wanless colours to the fore
Racing returned to Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday, 1 February and it was Oceana Dream who closed out the metropolitan card with a determined victory over 1600m.
Bred and raced by Australian identities Judi and Ron Wanless, who race the dual winner Centennial Park (Super Seth) in Australia with Tony and Calvin McEvoy, the three-year-old filly made it back-to-back wins taking Ridefromtheashes right to the line two lengths on the field.
This was her second win for trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood who earlier in the week bought a yearling daughter of Ocean Park from Book 1 of the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.
Meanwhile, in New Plymouth, the Tony Pike-trained Lanikai (ex Oahu) put in an enormous performance sitting mid-field throughout the 1800m journey to circle the field, balance up and power home recording the fastest sectionals in the final three furlongs.
The son of Ocean Park was a $165,000 graduate of the Waikato Stud draft bought by Pike Racing.
Oaks Day glory for Waikato Stud-bred Sulek
Waikato Stud enjoyed a special moment on Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday, when the New Zealand-bred gelding Sulek – by Super Seth out the O’Reilly mare Tiff And Co, saluted on one of the biggest days of the racing calendar and in front of an international crowd. Bred by the farm in partnership with the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Sulek took out the A$500,000 Cirka Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) for the third and most lucrative win of his career.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
And so, another Melbourne Cup has been run. Regretfully, Mary and I were not there. I have no idea how many we attended up until COVID, and I miss the Cup week. Victoria prides itself as the sporting capital of Australia; it may be, they certainly know how to create an event.
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