Gerard Doubles Down on The NZB Kiwi

[Wandering Eyes]

Matamata trainer Pam Gerard has doubled her representation in the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), with Slot Holder Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) announcing Affirmative Action (AUS) (Yes Yes Yes) as their representative in the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race.

The Yes Yes Yes gelding will join stablemate Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo) in the Champions Day feature at Ellerslie on 7 March, after he secured the Canterbury Jockey Club’s slot after beating Affirmative Action by the barest of margins in the $700,000 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 53rd New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton Park last November.

Gerard is rapt to have two representatives in The NZB Kiwi and said it is rewarding for her hard-working team at Ballymore Racing.

“It is great to get two from our little team in there, it is pretty exciting,” Gerard said. “Everyone wants to be there on the big days and it’s a good reward for everyone (at home).”

Affirmative Action was purchased out of Wentwood Grange’s NZB Karaka 2024 Book 2 draft for $115,000 by Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman.

He has won two and placed in three of his five starts to date, including victory in the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m), and placings in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas, and Gr.2 Jimmy Schick Shaw’s Auckland Guineas (1400m), and he has earned north of $260,000 in prizemoney.

Gerard said several NZB Kiwi Slot Holders have been interested in securing Affirmative Action for the race and elected to partner with ATR following his Guineas placing on Boxing Day.

“He has been very popular and we haven’t rushed it,” Gerard said. “We are at the stage now where we are ready to make a commitment and we went with Auckland Thoroughbred Racing.

“Affirmative Action has put his hand right up there and they put a good case forward.”

Gerard has been pleased with the way he has come through his Guineas run.

“I am really happy with him,” she said. “He always takes two or three days to come through. This time he has come through it even better, so we knew there was going to be improvement in him.

“Every time he has a race he comes back a little wiser and a little more professional.”

Gerard is also pleased with the progression of Romanoff after he finished ninth in the $400,000 Gr.2 Levin Track Supporters Levin Classic (1400m) at RACE Trentham a fortnight ago.

“He went a really nice race down at Wellington,” Gerard said. “He didn’t get all favours, we got caught very wide. I thought his run was pretty good considering he was four and five wide the whole way.

“He has come through it super well, ate up after his run and is in a very good space.”

Gerard is enjoying her golden run with three-year-olds, having trained last year’s standout colt Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel), and she puts her success down to sales selection and early conditioning.

“It all starts at the sales,” she said. “We are very lucky that we have bought the right horses. It is up to be me to get them up and going and get them into those early three-year-old races, which we have been quite successful with each year.

“We have got a system that seems to work for us. It means that they are in work for a long time through the winter, but it allows you to get them going early.”

Romanoff and Affirmative Action put on a spectacle in the 2000 Guineas and they will be out to replicate that battle in next week’s $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), their final lead-in race to The NZB Kiwi.

“They will both line-up in the Karaka Millions and then go onto the Kiwi after that,” Gerard said. 

“There is a nice little break before it, so they have got time to have a week in the paddock or whatever we think is best for them and freshen them up a little bit because obviously they have got to drop back to 1500m.”

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