If every racehorse owner could be guaranteed a horse like Kristov some time in their lives, campaigns to promote ownership would be unnecessary.
Alas, such good fortune is rarely distributed evenly or fairly in racing. So Kristov's owners Charlie Beckett, Greg Meads and Phillip Stevens can consider themselves blessed to collect their 37th and biggest cheque from his 39-start career, when he won yesterday's $60,000 MRC Manawatu Challenge S. 1400m G3 at Awapuni.
Bred by Willow Park Ltd, the six-year-old gelding by Slavic from the Piperhill mare Santa Barbra has been wonderfully consistent right from his first start in March 2003 when he ran third at New Plymouth. His record now reads eleven wins, including this year's WRC Thompson H. G3, 22 placings and prizemoney of more than $250,000.
A few clues to Kristov's consistency can be found in his pedigree. Although his dam was unplaced, she's the dam of three winners from three named foals, the other two being full brothers by Chem, Chemical Brother (eight wins in Australia) and Charbra (two wins).
His second dam Perfectly Regal (by Royal Ridge) won four times and produced nine winners of 38 races from eleven foals, two of them, And Let It Begin and Tide Time, stakes-placed in Australia.
Kristov is the best result of Slavic's five seasons in New Zealand, shuttling first to Glenmorgan Farm and then to Wedgewood Stud. A powerfully built son of Danzig, Slavic was a Group 2 winner at two and has left the modest total of four stakeswinners from his 211 New Zealand-bred foals, the others being G3 Molly Dot Com and SW Rat Tat and Bless.
Piperhill is also damsire of this year's Singapore Derby winner Hello And Goodbye, and Tuscany Warrior (2003 CJC Winter Cup G3).
Thanks as always to Arion Pedigrees for pedigree, performance and statistical data.
- Susan Archer
Alas, such good fortune is rarely distributed evenly or fairly in racing. So Kristov's owners Charlie Beckett, Greg Meads and Phillip Stevens can consider themselves blessed to collect their 37th and biggest cheque from his 39-start career, when he won yesterday's $60,000 MRC Manawatu Challenge S. 1400m G3 at Awapuni.
Bred by Willow Park Ltd, the six-year-old gelding by Slavic from the Piperhill mare Santa Barbra has been wonderfully consistent right from his first start in March 2003 when he ran third at New Plymouth. His record now reads eleven wins, including this year's WRC Thompson H. G3, 22 placings and prizemoney of more than $250,000.
A few clues to Kristov's consistency can be found in his pedigree. Although his dam was unplaced, she's the dam of three winners from three named foals, the other two being full brothers by Chem, Chemical Brother (eight wins in Australia) and Charbra (two wins).
His second dam Perfectly Regal (by Royal Ridge) won four times and produced nine winners of 38 races from eleven foals, two of them, And Let It Begin and Tide Time, stakes-placed in Australia.
Kristov is the best result of Slavic's five seasons in New Zealand, shuttling first to Glenmorgan Farm and then to Wedgewood Stud. A powerfully built son of Danzig, Slavic was a Group 2 winner at two and has left the modest total of four stakeswinners from his 211 New Zealand-bred foals, the others being G3 Molly Dot Com and SW Rat Tat and Bless.
Piperhill is also damsire of this year's Singapore Derby winner Hello And Goodbye, and Tuscany Warrior (2003 CJC Winter Cup G3).
Thanks as always to Arion Pedigrees for pedigree, performance and statistical data.
- Susan Archer