Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
In stark contrast with Ellerslie’s grand NZB Kiwi day, a week ago, this week the attention was focussed on Tauranga and the sole stakes race in the country.
By some coincidence, the last 400 metres of the NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m) and the Japan Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m) saw a strong similarity when Waitak (Proisir) flew along the inner from near last to gobble up the leaders quite a long way off the post, just as Damask Rose (Savabeel) had done the previous week.
Rider Ryan Elliot had few options from the wide draw (11 of 13) to be stuck wide early. Reaching the end of the back straight they were second last in a strung out field, courtesy of tearaway Leroy Brown (Ace High) but Waitak ultimately found the fence. Rounding into the home straight Elliot was faced with hugging the rail or pulling wide. Wisely, he chose to wait and as the field fanned he was presented with a perfect view along the inner.
Waitak is still remembered for his astonishing finish in the 2024 Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Pukekohe when he surged from last to first within a space of 200 metres to overwhelm a field of top class sprinters. That same acceleration was present on Saturday. Before the field reached the 100 metres pole he was in front. Before reaching the post Elliot was looking around to see where his opponents were. They were three lengths away.
Waitak doesn’t win out of turn, Saturday’s win just his fifth in 30 starts, but on his day he is quite brilliant. He showed promise as a juvenile, and won at his fourth start prior to a distant third in the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). A Listed win at three headed him on a Derby path, recording seconds in the Auckland Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) and the Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m), losing the latter by a head.
His run in the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) was solid, finishing well and peaking late for fifth. Four Brisbane runs were disappointing, especially his effort in the Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m).
Much credit is due to his co-trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott who reassessed the gelding’s career as four-year-old, taking out a 1300-metre sprint fresh up before that explosive win in the Railway. Since then he travelled to Perth for The Quokka (1200m) and this season has run a number of good placings in the best of company without winning. Saturday’s victory was probably overdue and took his earnings to more than $860,000.
Waitak has not been through the sales ring. His dam, Repo Bay (Shocking), failed to reach her reserve at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) May Broodmare Sale and was passed in at $20,000. Twice a winner herself, she was carrying Waitak from her first covering and has produced two winners from as many to race.
Waitak’s great granddam is a half-sister to two stakes winners including Entrancing (Bright Finish) a ten-times winner who scored twice at Group level and twice at Listed level. Entrancing was a daughter of champion two-year-old Desirable (Without Fear) whose ten wins included three Group 1s – the VRC Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m), the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1 1400m). She won seven times at two, was second in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and third in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Waitak and Desirable are the only Group 1 winners to descend from Desirable’s dam High Desire (Le Filou), who was a lucky purchase by Colin Hayes at the 1963 National Yearling Sale at Trentham. Offered by Pirongia Stud’s Jack Macky, High Desire was originally passed in at 275gns then reoffered later in the sale. Hayes secured the filly for 400gns and trained her to win ten races including four open handicaps. High Desire’s sister, Suttle (Le Filou) later took out the Hawke’s Bay Cup (Gr 3, 11f) and another sister, Fairy Walk (Le Filou), produced Fair Sir (Sir Tristram), winner of the Australasian Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) and seven-times Group 1–placed including third in the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m).
What about in Oz?
A quiet scene in New Zealand meant looking across the Tasman for any New Zealand highlights. However, every single stakes race in Australia was taken out by Australian-breds, something of a rarity lately. Nevertheless, a little digging threw up a gem, especially as it revealed the family which is the all-time favourite of the writer.
Until Saturday, the best three-year-old filly in Australia was Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express). Her seven wins in just nine starts including the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m)–placed her in rare company but she has a challenger in the shape of Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel).
In seven starts Lady Shenandoah has put together a remarkable three Group 1 victories among her five successive wins. Placed twice at two, this season she is unbeaten beginning with a Group win in the Ming Dynasty Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m). At start four she ran away with the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) in a small field of six.
Rested until mid–February she returned to score an easy win in the Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) but had a great battle against Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) in the Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), the first two well clear of the remainder. In Saturday’s Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m), against the older mares, she levelled up inside the last 200 metres then held on bravely to take her earnings to a tick over $1.8 million.
Whether she remains in training for The Championships is yet to be decided but wherever she lines up she is the one to beat. At the end of the season, the title of best three-year-old filly should be a great debate but the last word might be trainer Chris Waller’s take: “She’s a superstar. I wouldn’t say it’s scary but it’s uncharted territory for me to run a filly against the older girls, I don’t normally do it but we got away with it.” Waller ended with: “I don’t like to compare, but Winx wasn’t doing this at this age.”
Lady Shenandoah has a dual connection with New Zealand. First, her dam is by NZB Karaka Yearling Sale graduate and international Group 1 star Starcraft (Soviet Star). More importantly, she represents the Eulalie (Absurd) branch of the famous Eulogy (Cicero) family.
True, going back 100 years to Eulalie is a stretch but it is not necessary to go back that far to find a quality family. For a start, her almost identically-bred sibling was a Group 1 sprint winner in Hong Kong. Stronger (Not A Single Doubt) won the Centenary Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) at Sha Tin. He and Lady Shenandoah are by sons of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) from Star Pupil (Starcraft), so they share practically identical bloodlines.
Star Pupil’s younger sister, Ain’tnofallenstar (Starcraft) was a dual Listed winner who has since produced the JRA Cup (Gr 3, 2050m) winner Ain’tnodeeldun (Dundeel). Star Pupil is also a half-sister to Group 3 winner Bachman (All American) and to Singapore champion Stepitup (Hussonet) whose 15 wins included ten stakes.
Lady Shenandoah’s granddam is Ain’t Seen Nothin’ (Nothin’ Leica Dane), a triple Listed winner of eight races. Her great-granddam is a half-sister to the dam of Polar Success (Success Express), the 2003 Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner.
This branch of the Eulogy family is also responsible for five northern hemisphere Group 1 winners, namely Highland Reel (Galileo), Starspangledbanner (Choisir), Angel Bleu (Dark Angel), Elvstroem (Danehill) and Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus).
Caulfield double
VOBIS races made up the bulk of Saturday’s Caulfield card which saw a couple of seven-year-old New Zealand-breds bookend the day when Bankers Choice (Mongolian Khan) and Electric Belle (Power) scored their eighth and seventh wins respectively.
Bankers Choice, the 2022 Ballarat Cup (Listed, 2000m) winner, lost form for a couple of seasons but this season has been successful twice. He has banked $1.3 million and was withdrawn from the NZB 2019 Ready To Run sale.
His four-years younger brother, Checkmate (Mongolian Khan) is one of our better three-year-olds and was successful at Listed level last November. His third in last week’s NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m) was a slashing run.
Electric Belle scored three on the trot at three, added two more wins at five and now back-to-back as a seven-year-old. Offered at the 2019 NZB Ready To Run Sale, Electric Belle has earned $477,000 and could have been purchased for $30,000, her reserve. In seven starts since the mare was put up for auction (on-line) she has returned to her new owners more than $200,000 for a $5,000 outlay, Saturday’s win her biggest by far.
I like this one
How to turn $14,000 into $580,000? Hire ex-pat New Zealanders David and Emma-Lee Browne to look at your yearling purchase. The couple found Mcgaw (I Am Immortal) in the Showcase Session of the 2024 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and breeder Ryan Arnel remembers that the couple were the only ones to look at Mcgaw twice. Emma-Lee also remembers the day when David dismounted after some trackwork, said to his wife: “Oh, I like this one.”
Mcgaw made a huge impression when bolting clear from well back to score at Pakenham on debut at the end of January. Saturday’s win in the $1 million Showdown (1200m) was a straight-long battle, edging into the lead for a tough win to remain unbeaten.
The other New Zealand connection is that Mcgaw’s dam is Niki Piki Milo (Librettist), a winner of the Ryder Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and two other wins from six New Zealand starts before she was exported to Australia. After two starts in Victoria she was sold for $160,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Broodmare Sale.
Mcgaw’s granddam produced four stakes performers (two were Group 1-placed) and is a half-sister to Di Lusso (Lonhro) the dam of Contessa Vanessa (Bullbars) whose five wins included the Eight Carat Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) and ran second in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
