Smart pedigree to the fore

A successful female family made an early impact at Awapuni this afternoon with the winning debut of Bushfire. The three-year-old turned in a hot performance at the first time of asking following a lead-up placing at the trials.

The WS graduate is a son of Pins and the winning Centaine mare Martini, whose pedigree features the Group-performed females Icelette, Betwixt and Stardette. The dam is also a three-quarter sister to the South African Group One winner Taupo Retreat.

Bushfire was bred by Garry Chittick and sold by WS at Karaka in 2013 for $27,000 to Tony and Judith and Bambry. The gelding subsequently failed to meet his reserve when offered by the Palmerston North couple under their Mangatiti Bloodstock banner at the Ready to Run Sale and is now racing for them with Tony taking on the training role.

Fellow WS graduate Oceania later completed a winning Awapuni double for the Matamata farm with a drubbing of the Rating 75 sprinters. The Stephen Marsh-trained four-year-old is a daughter of Pins and Saveke, a Centaine mare and a direct descendant of the Gr 1 Australasian Oaks winner Centaurea.

Bushfire’s success followed a WS victory at Moonee Valley on Friday night with Duplicity Jones. The son of No Excuse Needed and Mayday Jones, who is from the family of the multiple Group One winner Wong, has now won four times for Cranbourne trainers Colin and Cindy Alderson.