Midnight Edition superb in four-year-old debut

[Wandering Eyes]

A return to black-type competition is just around the corner for Midnight Edition (NZ) (Wrote), who kicked off his four-year-old season with a runaway victory in the Power Farming – We Keep You Growing (1200m) at Te Rapa on Sunday.

The Wrote gelding gave a glimpse of his potential as a three-year-old last season with three wins and three placings, headed by a second in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie. He initially dead-heated with Yaldi in that Boxing Day feature, but was relegated in the inquiry room.

Midnight Edition also beat a strong field in his maiden win at Te Rapa last spring, where Checkmate and Levakia filled the minor placings, and he later ran fifth in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), fifth in the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m) and eighth in the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m). He signed off his season with a hard-fought win over Celestial Wonder in a 1200m race at Te Rapa in April.

Some 154 days later, Midnight Edition returned to racing on Sunday over the same course and distance –this time in open company and against a highly talented sprint line-up. But Midnight Edition proved to be a class above them.

Midnight Edition jumped well from gate seven among a nine-horse field, and jockey Masa Hashizume slotted him into a handy position in second behind Caitlyns Wish.

The challengers were lining up and breathing down the neck of the leader coming up to the home turn, and none of those were travelling better than Midnight Edition. He pounced at the top of the straight while Hashizume still had him under a tight hold.

The favourite Twain briefly loomed as a danger down the middle of the track, but Hashizume shook the reins and Midnight Edition kicked away. He opened up a margin of three and a quarter lengths over Twain, with the winner’s half-sister Midnight Scandal crossing the line another two lengths away in third.

Midnight Edition has now had 13 starts for four wins, three placings and $153,050 in stakes. He is the only horse in work and the pride and joy for Pukekohe trainer Bruce Wallbank.

“He’s a bloody good horse,” Wallbank said. “He had a very good spell and I thought he was a bit fat coming into this race and would probably need the run. But he’s been galloping brilliantly and he’s shown that he’s a very good horse.

“We’ll probably head towards the big sprint race at Otaki next month. In the meantime, I’d like to dedicate this race to my brother, who’s very unwell in hospital.”

That potential target is the Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m), which will be run for a stake of $120,000 at Otaki on October 11.

“It was good to see his half-sister run well in that race today too,” Wallbank added.

“The mare’s had three good horses from three foals to race (three-race winner Midnight Mass and black-type performers Midnight Scandal and Midnight Edition), so she’s a fantastic broodmare.”

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