Seths WS-bred son salutes for a second time

Twilight racing at Royal Randwick on Friday evening saw the O’Shea and Charlton-trained four-year-old Cross Tasman, who saluted in Race 4 over 1250m in the colours of prominent owner Ron Finemore, who is also in the ownership of Super Seth‘s Gr.1 Randwick Guineas winner Linebacker.

Jumping from barrier two under Tommy Berry, the pair sat one back and one off before heading down the middle and shooting away 25m to win by quarter of a length and taking his record to five starts for two wins and two placings.

Purchased by John O’Shea Racing / Suman Hedge Bloodstock for $260,000 from Waikato Stud’s 2023 NZB Karaka draft, O’Shea and Charlton have now trained two of Super Seth’s four Group 1 winners: Linebacker, winner of the Randwick Guineas (1600m), and Maison Louis, winner of the Queensland Derby (2400m).

Cross Tasman is the sixth foal to race from the multiple Group 1-winning No Excuse Needed mare Daffodil, whose Noverre yearling colt is headed to the 2026 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale in January as Lot 371 – it is the family of Atishu (Savabeel).