For the second year in a row, the $110,000 Collinson Forex Karaka Cup (2200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday features the Group One star quality of Tiptronic (NZ) (O’Reilly).
The Karaka Cup was added to the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Million twilight race meeting in 2014 as an attractive staying feature that Karaka graduates can target every summer as older horses. Its honour roll features the likes of subsequent Auckland Cup (3200m) heroine Chenille (NZ) (Pentire), along with the well-performed Five To Midnight (NZ) (Domesday).
But the Karaka Cup hit new heights last year with Tiptronic, already a winner of the Group One Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m), leading all the way under 60.5 kilograms and winning by two lengths.
The gutsy gelding has continued to flourish since then, placing in the Group One New Zealand Stakes (2000m) and Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) before landing a second elite triumph in the Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
Tiptronic has won a trial since then and is at the peak of his powers leading into a defence of his Karaka Cup crown this Saturday, albeit with a crushing weight of 63.5 kilograms – reduced to 61.5 with the two-kilogram claim of apprentice jockey Chelsea Burdan.
Bought for $100,000 from Waikato Stud’s draft at the 2015 Premier Sale by co-trainer Graham Richardson, Tiptronic has had 45 starts for eight wins, 12 placings and $758,771 in stakes.
The 2022 Karaka Cup field also features Sir Nate (NZ) (Nadeem), who won at Listed level as a two-year-old and has picked up another five black-type placings since then, dwarfing his $65,000 purchase price with $288,487 in prizemoney. He finished third behind Tiptronic in this race last year.
Sagunto (NZ) (O’Reilly) has impressed with three bold front-running victories this season, while Notabadharada (NZ) (Haradasun) was a winner in Sydney and has added another three wins to his record since returning across the Tasman in the spring.
Rapid Falls (NZ) (Sacred Falls), Even Chance (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Iffraajinator (NZ) (Iffraaj) have won three races apiece, rounding out a small but talented field for the ninth running of the Karaka Cup.
The Collinson Forex Karaka Cup is the opening race of an outstanding NZB Karaka Million Twilight Meeting at Ellerslie on Saturday, set down to start at 4.29pm.
