Front-running Khafre takes Matamata Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Matamata specialist Khafre took his career to a new level with a dominant front-running performance in Friday’s Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup (1600m).

The $80,000 feature was the fifth start at Matamata for the American Pharoah gelding, who has won two of those races and placed in all of the other three. He scored an all-the-way win by more than two lengths in maiden three-year-old company at the 2022 edition of this popular pre-Christmas twilight meeting, and his subsequent runs at the track have included close-up placings behind quality mares Skew Wiff and Lux Libertas.

Close up in fourth and fifth in Rating 75 company his two most recent starts, Khafre stepped up to open class on Friday and produced the performance of his career.

Khafre was driven straight to the lead by jockey Jasmine Fawcett and dominated the race from the front. He led the field up to the point of the home turn and then kicked hard at the top of the straight, rapidly opening up a three-length lead.

Hot favourite Mary Shan emerged from the pack and chased hard through the final 200m, closing the gap with every stride, but Khafre was hanging tough in front. He kept kicking and held on, denying Mary Shan by half a length. Topweight Mali Ston carried 59kg into a gallant third, 2-1/2 lengths behind the first pair.

The 1600m were run in 1:35.50, which is just over a second outside Tyne Cot’s race record of 1:34.36, set in 2015.

It was a first hometown Cup win for local jockey Fawcett, who had previously finished third in last year’s edition of the race with La Crique. Her cousin Kylie trained and part-owned the 2019 winner Polly Grey.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to win the Matamata Cup, so it means a lot to tick that one off the list,” said Fawcett, who has now won 11 Group and Listed races among a career total of 321 wins. “I placed in it last year, so it was great to get the win today.

“I was pretty confident that he was going to be a good chance today with 53kg. He won his maiden at Matamata as a three-year-old and he obviously knows his way around the course here, and whenever you’re riding one of Ralph Manning’s horses, you can be confident that they’re trained to the minute.

“He got to the lead easily and we were able to get some quite soft sectionals from the 800m to the 600m. Then he kicked really hard off the corner and he was always going to be hard to run down.”

Khafre was offered by Phoenix Park during the Book 1 session of Karaka 2021, where trainer Ralph Manning bought him for $155,000. He was born in Australia but bred by New Zealander Terry Archer.

The dam of the Matamata Cup winner is the Kiwi-bred High Chaparral mare La Dama, whose three-quarter-sister La Diosa won the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Sydney’s Gr.2 Surround Stakes (1400m). Khafre’s sire American Pharoah has spent time in the Australasian spotlight in recent times with his back-to-back Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) winners Riff Rocket and Goldrush Guru.

From 24 starts, Khafre has recorded five wins and five placings, earning $142,315 in stakes for his owner Tony Coombe.

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