Winning double at New Plymouth
Waikato Stud enjoyed a double dose of delight at New Plymouth on Thursday afternoon.
Their colours were carried to victory by the Ben and Ryan Foote-prepared Tivaci filly Rayet, and the Matamata farm also shared in the ownership group of the Tony Pike-trained maiden winner Overdrawn.
The son of Shamexpress was away well from the 1400 metre start to settle in the trail before angling off the fence before the turn and proved too good in the run home in the hands of Lisa Allpress.
The three-year-old was sent out a dominant favourite after placing once from his previous three starts and was taking a significant step back in class after taking on black type company.
He had run sixth in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy, in which Pike considered him unlucky, before finishing well back in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas and was then spelled.
Overdrawn was bought out of Windsor Park Stud’s draft at Karaka for $150,000 and is a son of the Northern Meteor mare Max It Out from the family of the four-time top-flight winner Preferment and the G1 Salinger Stakes winner Ancient Song.
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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