Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Within the space of just two starts as a four-year-old, Grail Seeker (Iffraaj) has announced her arrival as one of the brightest stars in New Zealand racing.
A first-up winner of the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings back at the beginning of September, the Iffraaj mare lined up for her first race in 119 days at Trentham on Saturday and blew her rivals away again in the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m).
It was the 40th win of a standout season for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, and one of the most rewarding as it brought a 17-week plan to spectacular fruition.
“She’s a very good galloper, there’s no doubt about that, and she really goes well fresh,” Scott said. “We had a big plan to get her here fresh today.
“She’s been to a racecourse every week for the last month, whether it’s trialling, galloping between races or walking around birdcages. It was all about having her ready for this one day today.
“When she arrived on course today, we thought she was bang on. To get this result is massive. I’m very proud of all of our team and of the horse’s performance.”
A two-time winner as a three-year-old including the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m), Grail Seeker took her career to new heights when she made her four-year-old debut in the Tarzino and brilliantly defeated the likes of Faraglioni, Sacred Satono, Skew Wiff, Waitak, Bonny Lass, Crocetti and Snazzytavi at weight-for-age.
That scintillating performance earned her a reputation that a four-month absence from the racetrack did nothing to diminish, and Grail Seeker started as a $4.40 favourite on Saturday against one of the strongest Telegraph line-ups of the last decade.
Grail Seeker was patiently ridden by Kevin Stott and sat at the tail of the field coming into the home straight. But then Stott spotted an opening between Navigator and the tiring Luberon, driving her through it and unleashing her down the outside.
The result was in little doubt from that point on as Grail Seeker burst to the lead with big, powerful strides. She bounded away through the last 100m, opening up a winning margin of two and a half lengths over Sacred Satono and Navigator.
It was a first Group One victory in New Zealand for Stott, whose tally of almost 700 wins in the United Kingdom and Ireland includes the Gr.1 Phoenix Stakes (1200m) on Bucanero Fuerte and Royal Ascot’s Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) aboard Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain.
“She was pretty electric, it was push-button stuff for me on top,” Stott said. “We went at a nice enough speed, and she was comfortable in the soft ground today.
“The team had her spot on for this. She felt really good when I rode her in a trial the other day.
“She was always travelling nicely today. It was just about trying to find the right horse to take me into the race. Once I did have a gap, she had a very good turn of foot and put the race to bed pretty quickly.”
Grail Seeker continued a proud record in the Telegraph for O’Sullivan, who won the sprint showpiece seven times as a jockey with Our Shah (1982), High Regards (1985), Mr Tiz (1989, 1990), O’Reilly (1997), Bawalaksana (1999) and Vinaka (2002).
“I think my father (Dave O’Sullivan) had a similar number of wins as a trainer too,” said O’Sullivan, who watched the race on TV from Saturday’s Te Aroha meeting. “It’s one of the really famous races on our calendar, so to be involved with another winner is a huge thrill.
“After she won the Tarzino in the spring, it was Andrew’s idea to give her a quiet time and set her up to try to win one of the big sprints over the summer. It’s always good when a plan comes off. I’m delighted for the team and delighted for the horse.”
Grail Seeker was offered by her breeders Jamieson Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Kakapo Lodge bought her for $130,000. Her 11-start career has now produced four wins, four placings and $729,715 in stakes for owners Trevor Clarke and Chris Jones, with the prospect of much more still to come.
“Our approach has been all about trying to get longevity out of her,” Scott said. “She’s a beautiful, big mare, but she’s still only a baby. She’s going to be even better when she’s five.
“Trevor and Chris are incredibly patient people, they’re animal people and they know that being patient now can be rewarded with some real longevity into next season and even the season after that.
“Now the plan is to hopefully get her to the Waikato Sprint (Gr.1, 1400m) next month, and further down the track we might even think about a Stradbroke (Gr.1, 1400m) in Brisbane if we can get in with a light weight.”
