Those interested in pedigrees and bloodlines had only to look at the catalogue page of La Dorada (Super Seth) to find the winner of this year’s Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m). It was obvious, although, to be fair, her last-start win in the Karaka Million 2YO (Listed, 1200m) was also a major factor.
La Dorada’s dam, Gold Fever (Savabeel) won the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes in 2017. The previous year, Gold Fever’s half-sister, Gold Rush (So You Think), took out the same race.
All three of Gold Fever’s wins were at two and the Matamata feature was Gold Rush’s only win. Stakes winning two-year-olds are the norm in this close-up family as their half-sister, Calaverite (Lonhro), was a dual Listed winner at two in Sydney and Melbourne before foaling the 2022 Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Golden Mile (Astern).
Need more proof? La Dorada’s granddam, Gold Rocks (Oratorio), won the Karrakatta Plate (Gr 2, 1200m) over in Perth, that state’s two-year-old championship race, one of three wins she scored as a juvenile.
In a disappointingly small field of seven, La Dorada made the lead past the 1000 metres and carted them into the home straight. To Cap It All (Capitalist) tried to make a race of it from the 200 metres but La Dorada was brave and refused to be headed. She and To Cap It All had the finish to themselves.
La Dorada is a graduate of the 2024 NZB Karaka Yearling sale where she was purchased by Te Akau’s David Ellis for $190,000 from the Waikato Stud draft. Her four starts have brought three wins and a Group 2 second for earnings of $744,500. Interestingly, La Dorada was the only filly in the field sired by a New Zealand-based sire, that being Waikato Stud’s Super Seth (Dundeel).
Similar to the Breeders’ Stakes, the Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) also drew a small field of just five runners. Scaring away the opposition, the Te Akau tangerine saw the stable land the trifecta. The winner, Return To Conquer (Snitzel) remains unbeaten in three starts but had some competition from He Who Dares (Snitzel) who was only 0.4 lengths away in second. In a Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) trifecta, To Bravery Born was third.
If Ellerslie’s March 8 Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) can draw La Dorada and To Cap It All from the Breeders’ Stakes, plus Return To Conquer and He Who Dares from the Slipper, we should have a worthwhile seasonal juvenile championship to look forward to.
She’s back
Last month, Orchestral (Savabeel), in the $1 million Aotearoa Classic (Listed, 1600m), and Crocetti (Zacinto), in the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), returned to their best form after a few runs that were less than expected. Everyone likes a winner and everyone was pleased to have them back on the big stage.
This week we welcomed back Legarto (Proisir), not that she lost form but because she was off the scene for almost 11 months. Her place in the Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1400m) was much anticipated as she joined two further Group 1 winners Skew Wiff (Savabeel) and Provence (Savabeel), ensuring a quality line up at the top underpinned by a number of Group winners. The race was held for the first time and while run as a Listed contest was easily of Group quality. As a natural lead-up for the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), expect the race to be promoted in status in the next year or two.
Legarto’s previous win was February 10 last year in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) whereas her last start was a sixth in the Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) on March 30. A winning barrier trial at Te Rapa in early August of last year suggested that for her five-year-old season everything was on track but the following month the industry was notified that, due to muscle strain, she would not see a racetrack for the remainder of the year. Co-trainer Ken Kelso commented at that time that she may not be seen until late summer or even autumn, hence the lengthy spell.
Regular rider Ryan Elliot was caught off guard. “To be honest, I didn’t even know she was in work until Ken rang me up a week ago and asked me to come and gallop her. But Ken had her so forward. I was really surprised how forward she was when I came and rode her,” he said after the race.
So was Kelso surprised. “She’s been away from the races for 12 months and has just had one exhibition gallop,” said the trainer who also explained that water-treadmill work at Mark and Shelley Treweek’s and treadmill work with Danica Guy, were instrumental in preparing the mare for Saturday’s first-rate return.
She was quickly into stride but Elliot was happy to let her find her feet. Down the back straight she had three behind her but from the 600 metres she sprinted and was widest turning for home, before sprinting again short of the 200 metres to almost share the lead. Acquarello (Written Tycoon) tried to stay with her but class prevailed and she edged into the lead by a half length at the post.
The triple Group 1 winner took her earnings beyond $2 million with this her tenth win in 16 starts, a wonderful return on the $90,000 that was outlaid for her out of Book 2 at the 2021 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.
Legarto is one of three winners from her dam, Geordie Girl (Towkay). Between them they have 31 wins. Geordie Girl is a Trentham–winning sister to dual Listed scorer Rapid Kay (Towkay) and half-sister to another dual Listed winner, Kekova (Elusive City). Her granddam Racing Waters (Racing Is Fun) is a Listed-placed half-sister to Mitchelson Cup (Listed, 2400m) winner Faiross (Pharostan).
Wish granted
What You Wish For (Embellish) fought best to claim his maiden stakes success at start 17 in a sprint-home Kaimai Stakes (Listed, 2000m), the last of four stakes on Matamata Breeders’ Stakes Day. It was the third win this season for the four-year-old who won at two but went winless last season at three which included a third in the Waikato Guineas (Gr 2, 2000m). What You Wish For became the fourth individual stakes winner for Cambridge Stud’s Embellish (Savabeel).
Another David Ellis purchase, this time for $60,000 from Book 1 of the 2022 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, What You Wish For has banked more than $200,000. He is the first foal out of Grand Wish (Smart Missile) who was successful at Sandown as a juvenile but managed just one further win before being snapped up by Cambridge Stud for $50,000.
Grand Wish is a half-sister to million–dollar earner Griante (Good Journey), a seven-time winner who scored the Galaxy Handicap (Gr 1, 1100m). Griante is not the only Group 1 winner close up in this family as Grand Wish is from a half-sister to Western Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and Western Australian Oaks (Gr 3, 2400m) winner Grand Journey (Good Journey).
Halfway to ten
The deep south has a new star. Pivotal Ten (Ten Sovereigns) gave nothing else a look in when racing away to an 8.8-length win in Saturday’s Southland Guineas (Listed, 1400m), the filly’s fifth successive victory and third stakes in a row in a career of only seven starts.
Five in a row is noteworthy but her average winning margin stands at more than five lengths and Saturday’s win saw her biggest margin yet after she pulverised her opponents. Her winning time was a slick 1:21.7 so who knows what she might have run if pressed?
Pivotal Ten is the fifth winner from five to the races from Woodcote Lass (Pivotal), a sister to French Group 1 winner Maarek (Pivotal) who landed the Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr 1, 1200m). Maarek totalled 14 wins which included eight at Group and Listed level. There is plenty of residual value here.
The filly was purchased by Colin Wightman as a weanling from the NZB Valachi Downs dispersal in 2022 for $15,000, quite the discount considering that Woodcote Lass’s three previous foals averaged more than $170,000. Wightman was back at Karaka last June and purchased Pivotal Ten’s Tarzino (Tavistock) weanling half-brother for $18,000.
Trainer/jockey Samantha Wynne is looking to test the filly in the Wellington Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) set for March 22 but time is running out for the possibility that she might nab a slot in the NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m).
Her sire Ten Sovereigns (No Nay Never), a dual Group 1 winner of the Newmarket’s Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) and the July Cup (Gr 1, 6f), stood one season in New Zealand. Pivotal Ten is one of seven stakes winners worldwide and he has sired 12 stakes-placed performers.
Over in Aus
New Zealand-breds dipped out at Randwick but chimed in with two stakes winners at Flemington where Wrote To Arataki (Wrote) added stakes win three to her growing record which stands at six wins and more than $700,000 in earnings from 23 starts. Previously, she scored the Tristarc Stakes (Gr 2, 1400 ) and the Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m) so is now a valuable broodmare prospect.
Rise At Dawn (Almanzor) is putting together an impressive record. Fresh up, the four-year-old gelding landed the Elms Handicap (Listed, 1400m) to make it back-to-back stakes having scored in the Heatherlie Handicap (Listed, 1700m) last August.
In 13 starts he has eight wins, the last four on end, and his prize-money earnings stand at $597,000, a healthy return on the $90,000 that was outlaid for him at the 2022 Inglis Premier Sale in Melbourne.
