Big win for C Wightman, Team Green and Pivotal Ten

[Murray Fish]

[curious]

Pivotal Ten and Samantha Wynne won the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui on Boxing Day.   Photo: Race Images South

Pivotal Ten takes Wingatui feature

Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

26 December 2024

Progressive filly Pivotal Ten completed an impressive hattrick of victories when she proved too tough on a testing Heavy 10 Wingatui surface to capture the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m).

Ridden by her trainer Samantha Wynne, the daughter of Ten Sovereigns had broken her maiden status on a Slow 7 surface at the venue back in October over 1200m before repeating the dose at Timaru a month later.

Given time to get over that run. Wynne presented the filly in superb condition for her biggest test to date and she didn’t disappoint after enjoying a dream run in the trail throughout the slowly run 1400m contest.

Wynne angled Pivotal Ten into the clear at the 300m as she set out after Lil Zena, who had shot through along the inner to take the lead and from there the pair set down to a tooth and nail battle which went in favour of Pivotal Ten by just on three quarters of a length.

Raced by Colin Wightman, who purchased her for $15,000 out of the Valachi Downs dispersal sale draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale in 2022, Pivotal Ten is a half-sister to the stakes placed mare Woodcote Lass and hails from an extended family that includes European Group One winner Maarek.

Wightman was impressed by the varied European bloodlines that the late Kevin Hickman had brought to his Valachi Downs breeding operation and was keen to secure the filly.

“Kevin had some really lovely mares from England and Ireland at Valachi and the pedigree of this filly included a high class sprinter in Maarek who won about seven or eight stakes races including a Group One,” Wightman said.

“The family had plenty of speed in it and Ten Sovereigns was also a speed machine so we expected this filly might get up and run.

“She is still developing and on the up and up, but she is just a super competitor who just wants to go out and win.

“We have spaced her races to give her plenty of time as we think she will be a much better four-year-old but you can’t argue with what she is doing now.

“This win means a lot and I’m thrilled with her as she didn’t really handle the track but it was her toughness that got her home.

“She may have a break now or we will hang around for some of the upcoming stakes races for the three-year-olds down here.” 

[Trojan]

Yeah a huge win in a Listed fillies race on a bog 10 heavy track in the middle of summer.  Way to go.

No doubt Wightman will be talking it up!!

[Huey]

42 minutes ago, Trojan said:

Yeah a huge win in a Listed fillies race on a bog 10 heavy track in the middle of summer.  Way to go.

No doubt Wightman will be talking it up!!

Never turn a win down!

[muzenza365]

A filly who has got the x factor, how good is yet to be known, but a lovely ride to secure the win and I think I read it was for 100k, so credit where it is due.

[Doomed]

7 hours ago, Trojan said:

Yeah a huge win in a Listed fillies race on a bog 10 heavy track in the middle of summer.  Way to go.

No doubt Wightman will be talking it up!!

I don't see any need for that attitude. I'm sure anyone on here would be delighted to own a filly that won a listed race. The field was no worse than a lot of NI Group races, just look to the 5 horse 2yo race at Trentham a couple of weeks ago.

I'm not saying it was a great field. I thought the programming was really strange, verging on incompetent, but that is another story.

[Trojan]

9 minutes ago, Doomed said:

I don't see any need for that attitude

You obviously haven't seen the BS that Wightman has written over the years and is currently regurgitating on Facebook.  He has an ego as big as Saturn and enough sanctimonious gas to fill every balloon on Earth!

[Doomed]

5 minutes ago, Trojan said:

You obviously haven't seen the BS that Wightman has written over the years and is currently regurgitating on Facebook.  He has an ego as big as Saturn and enough sanctimonious gas to fill every balloon on Earth!

I am aware of that, without knowing the man at all, but it is still no reason to knock his horse. There have been some pretty dubious characters who have owned successful horses over the years.

It actually looks like a nice type of horse. I bet the ORC were delighted those two quinellaed the race, it they hadn't the race was likely to be gone-burger when black type was next assessed.

[Murray Fish]

8 hours ago, muzenza365 said:

so credit where it is due.

she took my eye when she won that first race (in the photo at the top) @Wingatui and has continued to take my eye in the next two wins!  More in store I recon!

[Freda]

He's a polarizing character, is Colin, but has put an enormous amount of his own money up to support racing, he deserves any success he gets.

Notwithstanding some of his comments,  his stance on the safety of our polytracks has to be, in some shape or form, the reason for the recent survey by overseas experts. 

Without him stirring the pot it would be business as usual, nothing to see here.

And great to see young trainer Sam Wynne doing what she is going to be very good at indeed.