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Comeback jockey Elen Nicholas took her career to its greatest heights yet with a masterful ride aboard Final Return (NZ) (Reliable Man) to take out the Gr.3 MyRacehorse Counties Cup (2100m) at Pukekohe on Saturday. A horror run of injuries has forced Nicholas to spend more time on the sidelines than in the saddle during her apprenticeship, but she has made a triumphant return this season to sit in eighth place on the national premiership with 21 wins. She ranks second among apprentices behind only Amber Riddell with 25. The last seven days have seen Nicholas make the most significant big-race impacts of her career so far. She guided Notabadspillane (NZ) (Time Test) into second in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) with a ground-saving ride at Riccarton last Saturday, then went one better at Pukekohe a week later with an outstanding mid-race move in the Counties Cup. Nicholas and trainer Janelle Millar intended for Final Return to go forward in the $170,000 feature, but that plan appeared to go out the window when the gelding got squeezed out the back soon after leaving the starting gates and was a clear last going past the finish line with a lap to go. But the speed dropped right out of the race down the back of the track, and Nicholas seized the initiative. She allowed Final Return to surge around the outside of the field, moving up alongside the front-running Khan Hunter (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) by the 1000m mark. Final Return had Khan Hunter covered soon after rounding the home turn, but he found himself under siege as Rosetown Princess (NZ) (Redwood) loomed on the inside while Blue Sky At Night (NZ) (Shamexpress), Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood), Gigi (NZ) (Ghibellines), Sassy Lass (NZ) (Staphanos), Aftermath (NZ) (Rock ‘N’ Pop) and What You Wish For (NZ) (Embellish) ran on out wide. But just when it looked like he might be swallowed up in the final 150m, Final Return lifted again and held them all out, showing tremendous fight to cling on and win by a neck. Rosetown Princess was second, with two noses back to Aftermath and Sharp ‘N’ Smart. In a blanket finish, less than a length covered the next four finishers – Gigi, What You Wish For, Blue Sky At Night and Sassy Lass. The Counties Cup was Nicholas’ first win in a Group or Listed race. “This is definitely at the top of the list of my biggest wins,” the delighted 29-year-old said. “I feel so lucky and I’m just grateful to be out here and doing this. “The original plan was to jump and be handy, but we got a bit of a squeeze out the back. He was happy enough there early on, but I thought the pace might go out of the race down the back, which often seems to happen in these staying races. We managed to go around them without him having to do too much work, and then we were able to take a bit of a breather after we got to the front as well, which was good. “He got headed early in the straight and I thought, ‘Oh well, maybe we’ll run a nice placing if he can carry on.’ But he suddenly grew another leg. I couldn’t believe it.” Final Return is by Westbury Stud stallion Reliable Man out of the Zabeel mare Kind Return, who won four races and finished second behind Bazelle in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) and behind Zarius in the Gr.2 City Of Auckland Cup (2400m). From 25 starts, Final Return has now had three wins, eight placings and $281,565 in stakes. He made his mark in top-flight staying contests last season with a second in the New Zealand St Leger (2500m), third in the Gr.3 Avondale Cup (2400m), fourth in the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m), fourth in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) and sixth in the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m). “I’m speechless and very proud,” Millar said on Saturday. “This is something we’ve aimed for. We keep bringing the horse up north, because he likes going this way around. He tends to hit himself a little bit when he runs the Wellington way around, but he just goes so well up here and he’s a great traveller. “Elen gave him a perfect ride. I told her not to panic if she wasn’t able to go forward early, because he has a high cruising speed and can make up ground in the back straight. That’s exactly what she did. He has a turn of foot, but he’s better when he can race out in front. “We’ll probably aim for the Queen Elizabeth on New Year’s Day now.”  View the full article

Perennial black-type bridesmaid Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor) shed that unwanted tag in outstanding fashion when she downed a quality line-up of mares in Saturday’s Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe. The five-year-old daughter of Almanzor has been desperately unlucky on several occasions at the highest level, having been stakes-placed six times in her 16-start career, with four of those coming in Group One features. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared galloper has always looked to be a stayer of real promise and just 12 months earlier had pushed Nereus (NZ) (Savabeel) hard when finishing runner-up in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m). Instead of electing to try and go one better in the Counties Cup this year, her mentors freshened her after starting her current campaign with midfield finishes in the first two legs of the spring Triple Crown, the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) and Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m). That tactic was rewarded handsomely as she delivered in spades under a cool ride from Wiremu Pinn, who had her positioned beautifully in midfield before angling into clear air at the 400m where she appeared to be doing pacework as her rivals struggled to find anything extra. Qali Al Farrasha duly streaked clear to defeat a game Provence, who chased hard all the way home, and the late-closing Jaarffi. Bergerson was delighted the mare had finally broken her stakes race hoodoo and explained why the stable had adopted the new approach with her. “That was fantastic to see her bounce back as she is a quadruple Group One placegetter,” Bergerson said. “We attacked the first two legs (of the triple crown) but we weren’t happy with her going into the third (Gr.1 Livamol Classic, 2040m) so we gave her a freshen up. “She has come back really well and while we thought 1400m might be a bit sharp for her today, she has sprinted really well and was very good to the line. Hopefully she is in for an exciting summer.” Bergerson was uncertain as to the immediate plans for the mare, although he was keen to see her take a similar path to another former top mare in the stable, Campionessa. “Initially the plan was to go to the Cal Isuzu (Gr.2, 1600m) at Te Rapa and then on to Ellerslie on Boxing Day (Gr.1 Zabeel Classic, 2000m) like Campionessa did,” he said. “Off this I guess you have to consider Wellington (Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic, 1600m), but I think the Cal Isuzu is the next logical one. After that, we hope we can go one better in one of those Group Ones.” Pinn was delighted his initial thoughts on the race had been incorrect. “I thought 1400m might be too short for her, but she proved me wrong,” Pinn said. “It was a very good training effort by Mark and Sam and I think she is in for a very good prep if she has done that over 1400m. “She has come back mentally tougher and the further she gets the better she will be, as she has put a good field away today.” Bred by Nearco Stud Ltd, Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis and Westonlea Bloodstock’s David and Matthew Peacocke from lightly raced Burgundy mare Nucleonic (NZ), Qali Al Farrasha is raced by Ellis and the Peacockes. She has now won three of her 17 starts and more than $586,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Kozzi Asano signed off his brief New Zealand homecoming with a winning treble at Pukekohe on Saturday, headed by black-type success aboard Ardalio (NZ) (Ardrossan) in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m). Originally from Japan, Asano arrived in New Zealand in 2017 and became champion apprentice two years later. He racked up a total of 336 wins, 20 of them at stakes level, before departing during the 2023-24 season for a successful stint in South Korea. The 30-year-old returned to his Cambridge home earlier this season and rejoined Kiwi raceday riding ranks in October, but he will depart again for South Korea next week. He could hardly have wished for a better farewell, with his final day in the saddle producing victories on Solidify (NZ) (Redwood) in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Qualifier (2100m), Moxie (Strasbourg) in the HR Fisken & Sons 1400, and Ardalio in the $150,000 Counties Bowl. “I’m flying out again on Tuesday,” Asano said. “It’s going to be winter over there, it’s minus-three degrees at the moment. “I really appreciate the opportunity to ride Ardalio. She’s such a nice horse. Mr Lib Petagna (owner) has supported me in the past, before I went to South Korea last time, and it was good to get the job done for him today.” The Stephen Marsh-trained Ardalio was a dual black-type winner as a three-year-old last season and kicked off her four-year-old campaign with a close fourth over 1200m at Te Rapa on September 27. Kept fresh for this feature sprint assignment 56 days later, Ardalio settled in fifth along the rail as Lhasa (Hellbent) and Shoes (NZ) (Derryn) led the field up to the home turn. Ardalio cruised up alongside Lhasa with 250m to run and kicked away to take a clear lead. The danger lay wider out on the track as Twain began to eat into the margin with big strides. Ardalio gave a scare to her jockey, connections and supporters when she drifted out into Twain’s line in the final 100m, but she pinned her ears back and kicked away again to beat him by a length and a half. “She was super,” Asano said. “She’s not the easiest to ride and has got a few tricks, but she has a real killer instinct. I felt something coming up beside us, and she ducked out a little bit, but she was too good in the end.” Bred and raced by Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, Ardalio has now had eight starts for four wins, a second and $417,100 in stakes. She won the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) and Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) as a three-year-old, and ran a gallant seventh from a wide gate in the NZB Kiwi (1500m). According to Marsh’s stable representative Dylan Johnson, Group One sprint features are now on Ardalio’s agenda. “She’s putting together a great record and is just so tough,” Johnson said. “Kozzi gave her a beautiful trip, and then she just fights and grinds all the way to the finish. Those attributes made her a multiple Group winner as a three-year-old, and today was outstanding. “Stephen is keen to keep her to those sprint trips this season, and we’ll have a look at races like the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) and Railway (Gr.1, 1200m).” View the full article

New Zealand-bred mare Grid Girl boasts a perfect two-from-two record so far as a five-year-old, having added Saturday’s A$150,000 Rosemont Stud Fillies & Mares Pendant (1400m) at Cranbourne to her first-up victory at Kyneton on November 5. Previously the winner of four of her 16 starts, the daughter of Time Test resumed as a $1.90 favourite at Kyneton and produced a performance worthy of those short odds as she romped to victory by eight lengths. Saturday’s second-up assignment was significantly tougher, facing a talented field of mares under set weights and penalties conditions. But again Grid Girl came out on top. Drawn gate six among a field of eight, jockey Michael Dee planned to go forward but faced an early setback when Grid Girl was slow to leave the gates. Dee still pressed forward out wide on the track, eventually taking the lead after 400m. Grid Girl dominated the race from that point on, kicking hard in the straight and going on to win by three-quarters of a length. “The plan was to lead or be outside the leader, but she was mucking around a little bit in the barriers and unfortunately bombed the start,” Dee said. “I didn’t want to just concede and go back. I tried to make it as easy as possible for her to get across. We ended up doing a bit of work to get there, but she’s very tough, very competitive and has that will to win. “I felt her kick when she sensed another horse coming. I was happy that when we were to get to the front we were able to come back a pair and somewhat relax and get into a nice rhythm and then kick off the corner.” The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained Grid Girl has now had 17 starts for five wins, five placings and A$221,496 in stakes. “Full credit to Mick, it was a beautiful ride,” Will Hayes said. “He wanted to be nice and positive from the barrier, because we knew we had a nice long run to the first turn. He just allowed her to build through her gears and get across to the lead, held a steady pace and she was too tough in the end. She’s shown really good improvement and that was a good win. “It has taken time for the penny to drop. She has been a whole lot kinder this time in. She was a mare that could get quite keen in her races, and just being able to overcome a sticky start and then not get charging through the bit to assume control of the race, it’s a really good feather in her cap and why she’s been able to build the picket fence now.” Grid Girl was bred by Guy Lowry and is out of the five-time-winning Savabeel mare Chic. Lowry initially trained Grid Girl for two starts from his Hastings stable in the spring of 2023, placing on both occasions before being purchased privately by clients of the Lindsay Park stable. View the full article

Quality sprinter Spencer (NZ) (Derryn) showed all his fighting qualities when he dug deep to earn his ninth career win in one of the feature events at Wanganui on Saturday, the Manawatu ITM 1340. The six-year-old son of Derryn was having his first run from the Matamata stable of Peter and Shaun McKay after doing his previous racing in the care of Erin Hocquard at Waverley. Unsighted since finishing midfield at Trentham last month, last season’s Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) winner paraded in fine order before Saturday’s contest, with plenty of attitude on display as he made his way around to the starting gates. Apprentice Sienna Brown, who reduced her mount’s 62kg topweight down to a competitive 58kg with her 4kg apprentice claim, allowed Spencer to settle into a steady rhythm in midfield after jumping well before looping the field to dispute the pace with Blissful Belle at the 600m. Angled to the middle of the track, Spencer quickly hit the front after straightening and fought off all challengers to win by just on a length from race favourite Bedtime Story (NZ) (Per Incanto) and the late-closing Latrelle (NZ) (Redwood). Shaun McKay had a big smile on his face as he described the pre-race disposition of the horse. “He had a good strut on him and he looked a picture,” McKay said. “He won how he looked as well. “We haven’t learnt much from him just yet, but he is a pretty cruisy horse who has galloped really well at home. “He likes apprentices too and Sienna gets on well with him, so it was a very good win. “We will take it race by race, but there is a sprint down at Wellington at the start of December that we might aim him for.” The race McKay was alluding to is the Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m), which Spencer claimed in 2024 when held at Te Rapa. Bred and part-owned by Taranaki horseman Aidan Schumacher, Spencer has now won nine of his 27 starts and $309,430 in prizemoney. View the full article