Princess Kereru breaks through in Waikato Stud Plate

[Chief Stipe]

Princess Kereru broke through for a deserved black-type win in today’s Gr. 3 Waikato Stud Plate at Ellerslie, delivering a fitting result for the new sponsor.

Waikato Stud has taken over the sponsorship of the $100,000 race this year from Darley, and Princess Kereru is a daughter of one of the stud’s former star stallions.

“We were thrilled when the opportunity arose to sponsor this race and get involved with the Auckland Racing Club again,” Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick said. “It’s very, very appropriate that the winner is a daughter of one of our stallions, Pins, who sadly isn’t with us anymore. It’s a great result.”

Princess Kereru began this season as the winner of three of her 16 starts and just over $66,000 in prize-money. This campaign has been a remarkable breakthrough for the five-year-old.

After two wins earlier in the season, she took on the country’s best in the Gr. 1 Sistema Railway and ran an outstanding race for second. Upset winner Santa Monica beat her by a mere neck.

In the Gr. 3 Concorde Handicap in late January, Princess Kereru drew wide and had to drop out to the rear of the field. She produced an eye-catching run in the straight to finish a close seventh.

Dropping from 56.5 to 53 kilograms under today’s set weights and penalties conditions, Princess Kereru claimed her biggest win.

After a nice run in fifth behind the hard-running leader Ferrando, Princess Kereru was in danger of being luckless again as she struggled to find a way through early in the straight.

But a gap finally opened at the 200-metre mark and she burst through, scoring by a head from the fast-finishing longshot Ronchi. The Railway winner Santa Monica was a similar margin away in third in an exciting finish.

“She’s a little trooper,” Princess Kereru’s co-trainer Ken Kelso said fondly. “She really deserved this. She hasn’t had a lot of luck in some big races. It’s so important to get that big black type to go alongside her Group One placing.

“She’s just fabulous. I’m very happy for her owners, our staff and everyone involved.

“She was a scrawny little yearling when we first got her, but she’s really developed. Her owners are keen to race her again next year, which is very exciting.

“We’d have to look for a Group One now. There aren’t many left this season, so it might have to be in her next campaign.

“In the meantime we could look at the Lightning in Wellington (March 16), although that’s a handicap and she’d have a bit of weight now.”

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