Favourites Draw Side by Side in TAB Karaka Millions 2YO

[Wandering Eyes]

Favoured fillies Velocious (Written Tycoon) and Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) have strengthened their status as headline acts for Saturday’s $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) after drawing neighbouring midfield gates for the 17th running of the lucrative juvenile feature.

In a spectacular barrier draw beamed on to Auckland’s Sky Tower on Wednesday night, Velocious landed gate seven and Bellatrix Star gate six. With the emergency Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) drawing the inside barrier, the favoured pair will both move in by one gate if there are no scratchings.

Velocious is trained by Stephen Marsh for syndicators Go Racing. The same combination teamed up to win this race in 2013 with Ruud Awakening (Bernardini). Go Racing paid $190,000 to buy Velocious from the draft of breeders Inglewood Stud at Karaka 2023, and she has had three starts for two stylish wins, a Group Two placing and $106,500 in stakes.

Bellatrix Star was offered by Phoenix Park at Karaka 2023, where she was bought for $80,000 by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis in partnership with Fortuna Racing. Ellis and Fortuna joined forces to win this race with the great Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) in 2017. That started an extraordinary streak of Karaka Millions-winning two-year-olds bought by Ellis at Karaka, which now stands at seven in succession – Melody Belle, Avantage (Fastnet Rock), Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), Cool Aza Beel (NZ) (Savabeel), On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau), Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor) and Tokyo Tycoon (NZ) (Satono Aladdin).

Bellatrix Star has strong credentials to join that honour roll, recording two wins and two placings from four starts to date including an impressive last-start success in the Group Two Eclipse Stakes (1200m).

Bellatrix Star heads a five-strong team in this year’s race for Te Akau trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. They also have a potential X-factor colt in Cool ‘N’ Fast (NZ) (Savabeel), who is a full-brother to the 2020 Karaka Millions 2YO winner Cool Aza Beel and was a bold winner on Boxing Day in his only start to date. He has drawn gate four and will be ridden by five-time Karaka Millions 2YO winner Opie Bosson.

When Stars Align (NZ) (Zoustar) and Damask Rose also boast perfect one-from-one records and are drawn gates nine and one respectively. Te Akau’s other runner is Maracatu (NZ) (Ardrossan), whose three-start career has produced a win, a second and a fourth and who has drawn 11.

Beau Dazzler (NZ) (Ardrossan) was a Listed winner in Brisbane last month and will attempt to join Sister Havana (NZ) (General Nediym), Ockham’s Razor (NZ) (Any Suggestion) and Hardline (NZ) (Showcasing) as the fourth Australian-trained winner of this race. But he will need a slice of luck from gate 14.

If the emergency Damask Rose is scratched, the speedy Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) will start from the inside gate. Notably, gates one and 14 have produced the most winners in Karaka Millions 2YO history with three each (a success rate of 18.75%).

The TAB Karaka Millions 2YO will be run as Race 4 on the action-packed six-race programme at Ellerslie on Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 6.04pm.

2024 Final Field:

TOTAL STAKES	NUMBER	BARRIER DRAW	NAME BREEDING	TRAINER	JOCKEY	SALE PRICE	VENDOR PURCHASER
$147,150	1	14	Beau Dazzler B. C Ardrossan x Pwerfect	Tony & Maddysen Sears	Robbie Dolan	Book 2 $85,000	Mapperley Stud Ltd Paul Moroney B/stock / Catheryne Bruggeman / Sears Racing
$63,000	2	8	So Naive Br. C U S Navy Flag x Altai Rose	B Wallace & G Cooksley	Joe Doyle	Book 2 $37,500	Kilgravin Lodge Wallace T/breds
$56,650	3	15	Poetic Champion Ch. G Super Seth x Regally Blonde	Tony Pike	Craig Grylls	Book 1 $80,000	Haunui Farm
$46,000	4	4	Cool ‘n’ Fast Br. C Savabeel x Cool ‘n’ Sassy	Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson	Opie Bosson	Book 1 $340,000	Hallmark Stud DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ)
$32,950	5	2	Savaglee B. G Savabeel x Glee	M Moroney & P Gerard	Mark Zahra	Book 1 $400,000	Waikato Stud Ltd The Oaks Stud
$24,700	6	11	Maracatu B. G Ardrossan x Cortado	Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson	Blake Shinn	Book 1 $190,000	Mapperley Stud Ltd DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ)
$23,000	7	9	When Stars Align B. C Zoustar x Shenandoah	Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson	Michael McNab	Book 1 $400,000	Wentwood Grange DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ)
$22,200	8	12	Full Force B. G Cosmic Force x Jawhara	J Benner & H Wynyard	Ryan Elliot	Book 1 $135,000	Kilgravin Lodge Benner Racing
$12,075	9	5	Force of Law B. C War Decree x Back Date	M Moroney & P Gerard	Matthew Cameron	Book 2 $50,000	Inglewood Stud Ballymore Stables / Paul Moroney B/stock / Catheryne Bruggeman
$167,700	10	6	Bellatrix Star B. F Star Witness x Alana’s Party	Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson	Warren Kennedy	Book 1 $80,000	Phoenix Park DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) / Fortuna Racing
$106,500	11	7	Velocious Ch. F Written Tycoon x Parmalove	Stephen Marsh	James McDonald	Book 1 $190,000	Inglewood Stud Go Racing
$19,760	12	13	Sunrise B. F Charm Spirit x Daily at Dawn	John Bary	Wiremu Pinn	Book 2 $30,000	Windsor Park Stud TFI / John Bary
$17,600	13	10	Macaluso B. F Savabeel x Chiaretta	Andrew Forsman	Masa Hashizume	Book 1 $600,000	Elsdon Park Forsman Racing / Andrew Williams B/stock / Bevan Smith B/stock
$13,300	14	3	Hard Attack Br. F All Too Hard x Vitriolic Attack	Steven Cole	Sam Spratt	Book 1 $100,000	Westbury Stud Steven Cole Racing
$10,360	15 (B1)	1	Damask Rose B. F Savabeel x Sombreuil	Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson		Book 1 $200,000	Milan Park DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ)

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