Top Rating For I Do

Allan Sharrock couldn’t have paid I Do a higher compliment on Saturday when he rated her favourably with former stable star and multiple Group One winner Shez Sinsational. The Taranaki trainer was moved to make a comparison after I Do had trounced her rivals after a gem of a ride from Opie Bosson in the Listed Windsor Park Stud Rotorua Stakes.

“When I had the good brown mare (Shez Sinsational) there wasn’t much between them in ability,” Sharrock said. “I thought she’d be a good chance, but at Rotorua you never know how they’ll go. We were lucky to have the magic man on board – they were in trouble midfield and down on the inner, but he got the job done.”

Bosson was able to angle I Do off the fence across the top and the grey five-year-old moved stylishly into contention before rounding off strongly in the run home to score by a length and a-half. Sharrock said he had intended to spell the daughter of No Excuse Needed after her run for second in the Listed Manawatu ITM Anzac 1600, but decided to roll the dice one more time at Arawa Park. “We were going to turn her out, but she went such a good race that Mark (Chittick) and I decided to give her one more. With the set weights it was the obvious one for her.”

Sharrock races I Do with Chittick, who had not one but three reasons to take satisfaction from the feature event. Waikato Stud also bred runner-up No Excuse Maggie, who came from last, as well as the fourth placegetter Huffer, which they race with the Huffer Syndicate. The Matamata farm’s total domination was only denied by the third placegetter Art Beat.

I Do is the 15th individual stakes winner for No Excuse Needed and is the 11th WS-bred stakes winner this season.