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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Expat Kiwi jockey Logan Bates returned home to record his biggest moment in racing when scoring his first elite-level success aboard Jigsaw in the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. The 24-year-old hoop has been making a name for himself in Victoria under the tutelage of his employer Cindy Alderson, who trains Jigsaw, and he was rapt to bring up the milestone in her silks. “It means everything,” Bates said. “I remember before I even started riding, Cindy and I had a conversation and she said one of her greatest achievements would be to see me win a Group One and the comment at the end was that it would be even better if it was in her colours for the Alderson family, and we have done it.” Bates has formed a formidable partnership with Jigsaw, having won their previous three starts before heading to New Zealand, including the Gr.2 McEwen Stakes (1200m) and A$1 million Meteorite (1200m), and Bates said the seven-year-old gelding his belying his age. “What a beautiful horse,” he said. “You wouldn’t think he was a seven-year-old gelding to come back like this and get better and better. Every day I ride him going this way (right-handed) and all the work that we have done with him I just grew in confidence.” The pair sat outside pacemaker Alabama Lass for most of the journey and when Bates asked his charge the question down the home straight he immediately responded, kicking clear to score by three-quarters of a length over fellow Australian raider Arkansaw Kid. “The plan was either to lead if it was there or if they were rolling along at a tempo where he was happy in his rhythm,” Bates said. “When I gave him a squeeze and he ranged up to Alabama Lass, he grew with confidence and gave me an unbelievable kick.” Bates had plenty of support in the crowd, with his mother Kylie Williams, who had ridden earlier in the card, and his father, former jockey Jamie Bates, both cheering him home. “There are so many people to thank. I have got Mum and Dad here, my partner, my good mate Jake, and to do it for Cindy is just unreal,” he said. “It was like it was meant to be, to come back to where I grew up in New Zealand. Even his (Jigsaw) mother was from New Zealand. Coming here and racing on one of the best days here and taking out one of their bigger Group Ones in the Railway is just incredible.” Williams was beaming with pride following the win, and she was delighted to be trackside to share in the moment with her child. “I couldn’t get a Group One, but I produced one,” she quipped. “He knows this horse inside and out. To see them accomplish it together, and for Cindy, is awesome. “It is good to see him grow and mature into such a professional young man. I am very proud of him.” The win capped a great day for Bates, who bookended the six-race card, having ridden the Margaret Falconer-trained Moschino to victory in the HKJC World Pool Jo Giles Stakes (1400m). View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
For those looking for a succinct summary of the result in the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) at Ellerslie, the answer was very simple – Well Written first, daylight second. The unbeaten daughter of Written Tycoon was not just a red-hot favourite for the event, she was the horse that so many of the massive on-course crowd had specifically come to see, and she didn’t disappoint as she let rip with 200m to run and simply powered away from a quality field to win by an ever increasing six-length margin. Trainer Stephen Marsh has made no secret of the fact the filly could be the best horse he has ever trained and Well Written is living up to that mantle with five victories in a row, including four at stakes level. Marsh had admitted he had been nervous when his charge resumed at Ellerslie on Boxing Day in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) and had cause to be as she won but not in her normal dominant fashion. That however was just the prelude to the first of two enormous target races and she stripped much fitter for this assignment in the hands of regular pilot Matt Cartwright. Brilliantly away to lead clearly from barrier three, Cartwright eased the filly back as Fleeting Star and He Who Dares took up pacemaking duties. The legion of supporters on the $1.50 Fixed Odds favourite had cause from concern when Cartwright found himself in a pocket approaching the home turn, although he was tracking second favourite La Dorada into contention. Cartwright forced his way clear at the 250m and in a twinkling of an eye Well Written burst away and put the result beyond doubt before receiving a massive round of applause as she hit the finish line. Cartwright’s assessment of the effort summed the victory up perfectly. “The best horse I have ever ridden, this horse is an absolute weapon,” he said. “It’s so exciting as we got the right run, we got through and wow I nearly fell off the back of her. “She was very keen today but I have always wanted to ride her with cover as she just drops her head relaxes and shows that good turn of foot. “I think we have seen a very special win today. I’m speechless and I think she is right up to Australia’s best.” Marsh was suitably relaxed despite the pressure of preparing a filly as good as Well Written. “Everything went well although we probably got back a length further than I wanted,” Marsh said. “I thought she paraded so well today as I was a shade of green before last start, but I was relatively relaxed today and we have just seen something pretty special.” Marsh also praised Cartwright for his handling of the filly as he has repaid his faith in having him aboard the now $1 million earner. “People have asked me how good is she and I just hope she keeps improving the way she has, as it is very exciting. “I always say to Matt don’t panic, have faith in yourself and the horse and if you are going well on one with this ability it will happen (winning). “He didn’t panic and that is what I like about him. “This makes me feel bloody good and this is why we do it, why we get out of bed and I just love seeing the owners and everyone so excited. “You will now see her in the Kiwi next.” Marsh was referring to the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) that will be run at Ellerslie on March 7. Marsh and his bloodstock agent Dylan Johnson paid a sale-topping $80,000 to buy Well Written from Brighthill Farm’s draft in the 2024 NZB National Online Yearling Sale on Gavelhouse Plus. Marsh’s large syndicate of owners that originally raced Well Written all sold down their share after she scored a seven-length victory in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), with major international player Yulong Investments coming into the ownership before she took out the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November. Her five race victories have rewarded her connections to the tune of $1,4 million in prizemoney. – View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Letham Stud stallion Unusual Suspect was credited with his second stakes winner when Anemacore lived up to his long-held potential and pre-race favouritism with victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed Coastline BMW Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m). Ridden by Michael Rodd for trainer Shaun Dwyer, Anemacore had only three horses behind him with 300m to run but produced a powerful finishing burst to get up and win by a length and a quarter. Anemacore has now had 20 starts for six wins, nine placings and A$364,760 in stakes. But a series of setbacks have prevented him from fully achieving what Dwyer has long believed him to be capable of, including a bleeding attack at Eagle Farm last May. “We’ve probably only seen half of what the horse should’ve been able to do,” Dwyer said. “He had a back issue very early and we got on top of that, and then he bled.” The six-year-old has made a strong return since then, winning three of his four starts this season along with a third in the Listed Lough Neah Stakes (1300m) at Eagle Farm on December 20 in his previous start. Anemacore was bred by Nigel and Adaire Auret, who stand Unusual Suspect at Letham Stud. He is the sire of 52 winners from just 84 runners, with Anemacore joining Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) winner Unusual Countess as his second stakes winner. Unusual Suspect is also the sire of black-type placegetters Unusual Legacy and Unusual Culture. Anemacore is out of the Rip Van Winkle mare Saintly Ripa, a daughter of Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) winner Saint Cecile. Anemacore was a trial winner at Foxton in December 2022 for the Aurets’ son Fraser before being sold to Australia. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
NZB Kiwi slot holder The King’s Men had massive grins on their faces following Belle Cheval’s victory in the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. A day prior they made the announcement that they had secured the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained filly as their representative for the $4 million Champions Day feature in March, and their choice was quickly vindicated. The daughter of Savabeel jumped away well from her inside barrier and settled three back on the fence for jockey Craig Williams. The leading Australian hoop was able to extricate his filly off the fence when turning for home and Belle Cheval began to chase down the leaders, bounding to the front at the 100m mark and comfortably put away her rivals to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Bulgari, with a further short neck back to stablemate Drops Of God in third. “She is a very nice filly,” Williams said. “She was favourite for a reason and the fact that she was first-up over 1200m and she could utilise her barrier draw, she won untouched today.” The lightly-raced filly had three prior starts in the spring, culminating in her placing in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November, and Walker believes that southern trip has proven to be the making of her. “That’s why we love taking horses to Riccarton in the spring,” he said. “The trip down to Riccarton just made her. Mentally she was just a bit soft going down there but with that experience she has come back more mature, more experienced and she has got it all ahead of her.” With the NZB Kiwi (1500m) now firmly in their sights, Walker said Belle Cheval will likely be given one more start before the March 7 feature, before they potentially look across the Tasman for further targets. “1500m will be right up her alley,” Walker said. “Perhaps we will go to the Lisa Chittick (Listed, 1400m) at Matamata (on February 14) where she will have home track advantage. “Obviously, Lisa Chittick was a very special person to all the Te Akau crew and we would love to win that race. “There is obviously the NZB Kiwi and then we would like to get her to Australia.” Bred by prominent racing identity David Archer, Belle Cheval is a half-sister to his former three-time Group One winner Bostonian, and he races the filly in partnership with his partner Diane Wright and children Simon Archer and Natalie Micarone. Belle Cheval has now won two and placed in two of her four starts to date and accrued more than $216,000 in prizemoney. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Queensland trainer Liam Birchley continued his great association with the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) when recording his third win in the juvenile feature at Ellerslie on Saturday. He had previously won the $1 million race in 2010 with Sister Havana before doubling his tally in 2015 with Hardline, while he also finished runner-up in the race in 2009 with Sarge In Charge. He returned to New Zealand with two contenders for his year’s running, including Dream Roca and Vanzadee, and it was the former who gave Birchley his third Karaka Millions crown following a gun ride by Australian hoop Ben Thompson. From her ace draw, the daughter of El Roca enjoyed an economical trip in the trail behind pacemaker Magill throughout, and while she needed the entire length of the straight to nab the Hawke’s Bay gelding, she showed her tenacity in the closing stages to reel in her foe to win by a long head. “We were lucky enough to draw number one, which saves you a lot of work in the run, she could take it easy and save her best for the end, which we needed to,” Birchley said. “From barrier one you are going to get the best run no matter what if you have got the right jockey. He (Thompson) is an emerging superstar.” Birchley was rapt to record his third win in the race and said it was particularly sentimental given one of her owners passed away just weeks before the race. “It’s tremendous to get it three times, I know how hard it is to win it, and the standard here of the two-year-olds has improved markedly over the last 10 years,” he said. “I have got a lot of really close friends in this horse that go back a long way. One of the owners has just died recently and he named her, so it means a lot.” It was the first meeting Thompson has ridden in in New Zealand, and he was duly rapt with his immediate success. “It is very surreal, it is an amazing track,” he said. “She is just a class filly. All credit to Liam Birchley, he is a brilliant trainer and it fills you with so much confidence when riding any horse of his, especially a two-year-old. It is the third time he has won this race, so it is great to partner up with him. “The track has been playing so fair, I had to just be patient and wait for a run, and she gave me a great kick.” Bred by Westbury Stud principal Gerry Harvery, Dream Roca is out of five-win Redwood mare Petrachor, a half-sister to stakes performer Niobe. She was offered through Westbury Stud’s 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft where she was purchased by Birchley, under his Bloodstock Solutions banner, for $75,000. She has now won two and placed in one of her three starts to date and has earned more than $625,000 in prizemoney. View the full article
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