When you have a very famous father, it’s sometimes hard to get out of their shadow and particularly if you stand at the same farm, but for this stallion time has been his friend and the more time that passes the more his statistics show he’s real value for money.
A win in Saturday’s $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday would be a great tonic for trainer Lynda German, who is currently at her mother’s bedside at Gisborne Hospital.
The extremely versatile Maree McEwan is on the grounds at Inglis Classic and when she’s not inspecting yearling drafts, she’s talking to people for Breednet so here’s what some of the major players had to say in the lead up to the sale which starts on Sunday.
Trainer Pam Gerard took plenty of convincing to head south to Tauherenikau with Reputation on Thursday, but the long trip paid off with victory in the Listed Clubs NZ Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m).
Enigmatic four-year-old Danjuro has been a work in progress for trainer Peter Didham, but the penny may be starting to drop with the son of Saxon Warrior, who scored his second consecutive victory in the Central ITM Wairarapa Cup (2050m) at Tauherenikau on Thursday.
Prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir is looking to repeat history in this weekend’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa, after buying into the $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) favourite Leica Lucy on Monday.
Breednet report for unraced progeny of first season sires at the trials is often a good guide for stallions that are about to make a splash and regular trial watchers will notice one of our first season sires has thrown up a rocket.
Next week’s Legends Day at Te Rapa will have a strong international flavour, with Sydney trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald set to tackle the meeting’s two Group One features with a pair of high-profile runners.