Travis Stakes Redemption for Val Di Zoldo

Breednet - Saturday April 26

Val Di Zoldo’s victory in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday showed what a difference a year can make.

Val Di Zoldo winning the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Kenton Wright (Race Images)

The $150,000 fillies and mares’ feature capped an autumn black-type double for the War Decree mare, who was a last-start winner of the Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2050m) at Wanganui on April 5.

It could hardly be a more different story to what happened in those same two races 12 months ago. Val Di Zoldo ran fourth in the 2024 edition of the Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes at Trentham, crossing the finish line 3.6 lengths behind Apostrophe after being completely blocked for most of the straight.

The Travis Stakes was even more of a nightmare. Val Di Zoldo was caught wide without cover in the early part of the race, then jockey Wiremu Pinn lost his left stirrup leather in the straight. She overcame all of that adversity to still finish fourth, beaten by a half-head, a half-head and a head.

A return to Te Rapa for a second shot at the Travis Stakes brought redemption for Val Di Zoldo and Pinn. The pair enjoyed a comfortable run, three back on the rail, as Town Cryer and Our Jumala showed the way up to the home turn.

Pinn angled the five-year-old into the clear at the top of the home straight, and Val Di Zoldo soon warmed into her work. She surged past Town Cryer and Our Jumala with just over 100m to run, then held out a big finish from Islington Lass to win by a neck. Pinn summed up the feelings of all of Val Di Zoldo’s connections with a fist pump after the finish line.

“I think Wiremu will really enjoy that,” trainer Tony Pike said. “He’s ridden her a few times with absolutely no luck. She should have won this race last year. To get the win today is a little bit of payback.

“It was a beautiful ride by Wiremu. He settled three back at the fence and then came off at the right time.”

Advertisement

Val Di Zoldo has now won four of her 31 starts and $325,915 in stakes. She won the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) as a three-year-old in March of 2023, but then went winless for more than two years before this month’s Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes and Travis Stakes successes.

“She’s always been a very good mare, and she’s honestly the most unlucky mare I’ve ever trained,” Pike said. “So she really deserves these two stakes wins that she’s put together this autumn. She’s going to be a lovely broodmare later on as well.

“She’d been out of the winners’ circle for two years before that win two years ago, but it’s not her fault. She probably should have won three or four races during that period. To get this win today is fantastic for her owners.

“There’s now the possibility of the Rotorua Cup (Listed, 2200m) in a couple of weeks’ time. She ran in that last year and probably didn’t quite see out the 2200m. We’ll have a talk to the owners and make a decision. We might just put her out and then bring her back for the spring.”

Bred by the late Kevin Hickman, Val Di Zoldo is raced by Robert and Kim De Courcy under their Kinsale Bloodstock banner after she was purchased for $285,000 by Bruce Sherwin out of the Valachi Downs Unreserved Young & Racing Stock Dispersal Sale.

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment

Race Result - Travis Stakes Gr2 2000m

Te Rapa Track: Soft(5) Time: 2:04.50
1
Val Di Zoldo
- 5m War Decree (USA) x Civetta (NZ) (Thorn Park (AUS))
Tnr: A W Pike Rdr: W F Pinn 57.00
2
0.3
Islington Lass
- 6m Proisir (AUS) x Miss Relentless (NZ) (Montjeu (IRE))
Tnr: S A Sharrock Rdr: M J Mc Nab 57.00
3
1.3
Outback Opal
- 7m El Roca (AUS) x Kashika (NZ) (Bachelor Duke (USA))
Tnr: M H Brosnan Rdr: M Hashizume 57.00
4
1.5
Town Cryer
- 7m Tavistock (NZ) x The Speaker (NZ) (Volksraad (GB))
Tnr: R J Bergerson Rdr: Joe Doyle 57.00
5
2
Our Jumala
- 6m Zed (NZ) x Baltis (NZ) (Al Akbar (AUS))
Tnr: Robbie Patterson Rdr: C J Grylls 57.00
6
2.8
Nigella Lane
- 5m Niagara (AUS) x Casabella Lane (NZ) (Volksraad (GB))
Tnr: R R Manning Rdr: K A Myers 57.00
7
2.9
Mehzebeen
- 5m Almanzor (FR) x Salkantay (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson Rdr: G Rooke 57.00
8
3.1
Khanshe
- 4m Mongolian Khan (AUS) x Folies Bergere (NZ) (O'reilly (NZ))
Tnr: F J Auret Rdr: R T Elliot 57.00
9
3.6
Manifique
- 6m Savabeel (AUS) x Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar (USA))
Tnr: Peter Didham Rdr: K Chowdhoory 57.00
10
4.1
Livid Sky
- 4m Proisir (AUS) x Lady Lucille (NZ) (Istidaad (USA))
Tnr: S R Autridge Rdr: W B Kennedy 57.00
11
4.2
Charlbury
- 5m Churchill (IRE) x Astrid (NZ) (Pins (AUS))
Tnr: Ms C Cameron Rdr: A Lawson-Carroll 57.00
12
5.1
Blue Sky At Night
- 7m Shamexpress (NZ) x After Midnight (NZ) (Viking Ruler (AUS))
Tnr: Ms S Hale Rdr: U A Holmquist 57.00
13
5.6
Electron
- 4m Turn Me Loose (NZ) x Chemistry (AUS) (Shamardal (USA))
Tnr: Ms S P Mynott Rdr: Matthew Cartwright 57.00
More Reading...
Juvenile Trial Watch – Warwick Farm
Five heats for juveniles at the Warwick Farm trials on Tuesday morning included three unraced youngsters by Extreme Choice, Anders and Capitalist, plus we got the first look at the $1.4million Wootton Bassett (GB) colt from Sunlight.
Queensland Oaks Goal for Ace High Filly
Gifted Ace High filly She’s A Dealer will cross the Tasman later this week in a bid to make her mark at the highest level.
Sires With Winners - Monday May 12
Here is the full list of 14 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Mornington
Godolphin would have had high expectations for a filly foal born in 2021 by Too Darn Hot (GB) from their 2014 Champion Australian 2YO Earthquake.
First Winner for Russian Camelot
Standing at Widden Victoria, Camelot’s high class dual Group I winning son Russian Camelot (IRE) is a young stallion more expected to make his mark next season, but he’s on the board with his first winner after Morgana saluted at Mornington on Monday.
Investing in Fillies Can Pay Big Dividends
Now that the dust has settled from that stellar Inglis Chairman’s Sale last week, we thought it was worth taking a look back at the sale origins of the million dollar mares that were purchased as yearlings.
Arrowfield Yearlings for Sale Unreserved on Bloodstockauction
A highlight of this week's Bloodstockauction.com sale is an exciting draft from Arrowfield Stud, a dozen well related yearlings (all unreserved) who would be a stand-out in any stable!
Another Star Rises for Champion WA sire Playing God
Simon Miller has maintained from day one that his Playing God three year old West Star is a horse with “x-factor” and the gelding proved it yesterday with an absolutely dominant win in the G3 Northam Stakes.
Little Brose to be Unveiled by Little Avondale
Gr.1 Blue Diamond (1200m) winner Little Brose will be officially unveiled to the public at Little Avondale Stud’s open day on Thursday afternoon.
Pencarrow Blue Hen Dynasty Still Producing
Romanee Conti has been a pillar of Pencarrow’s broodmare band for decades, and her lineage continues to go from strength-to-strength, with her descendant Tomodachi adding to that legacy over the weekend.