Article: Kevin Robertson,  – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Photo: Kenton Wright, Race Images

While trainer Stephen Marsh may be away in Hong Kong putting the finishing touches on El Vencedor in his bid to win the Gr.1 QE II Cup (2000m) on Sunday, he enjoyed a red-letter day at Te Rapa on Saturday as promising filly Ardalio claimed the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) to bring up a winning treble for the stable.

The three-year-old daughter of Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan had demonstrated her class when winning the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie on Karaka Millions night before going on to finish seventh in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) in March.

Given a few days in the paddock by Marsh, Ardalio stripped a picture of fitness for Saturday’s feature and raced accordingly as she produced a devastating home straight burst to claim the major spoils in a hotly contested event.

A late betting plunge saw her start the $4.50 second favourite behind stablemate Velocious ($4.30), with rider Michael McNab having her positioned nicely in midfield against the rail in the early rush for positions.

Ardalio was desperate for room at the 250m as McNab switched her over heels to find clear running and once she spied that gap she exploded to the front before holding out the late claims of Archaic Smile, Whiskey ‘N Roses and Romilly to win handsomely in a slick 1.10.06 for the 1200m journey on a Soft 5 surface.

Bloodstock agent Bruce Perry, who represents her breeder and owner Lib Petagna, admitted there was plenty of confidence in the camp before the race.

“We did expect she could do that as she has been pretty impressive in all her race wins,” Perry said.

“When she won the Almanzor Trophy at Ellerslie she was quite explosive and her run in the NZB Kiwi was as good as anything in the race as she was wide all the way.

“She was entitled to give it away that day but she just kept fighting right to the line.

“I think it is her attitude that really stands out as she is tough and very determined, enjoys being in a scrap and will do anything you ask of her.”

Perry believes the filly may now be given a winter break before looking at some selected Spring targets.

“I’m not sure what Stephen has planned for her but possibly she will head to the paddock now,” he said.

“She may have quite a light Spring as it can be tough to step up in the early stages of a four-year-old campaign for some horses.

“We know she is only going to get stronger so a light Spring with a focus on some Autumn targets could well be the plan.”

Ardalio is the second foal of Petagna’s Written Tycoon mare Bridgewater with her extended family representing a strong European flavour along with Australian Group Three winner Index Linked.

She has now won three of her six starts and $327,600 in prizemoney.

– NZ Racing Desk

Well-related colt Tardelli (I Am Invincible) will make a return trip to Wellington in his bid to add a black-type victory to his burgeoning record.

The Stephen Marsh-trained son of I Am Invincible continued his impressive progression on Champions’ Day at Ellerslie where he came from last to claim the Windsor Park Stud Trophy (1500m).

He will make his next appearance in Saturday week’s Gr.2 IRT Wellington Guineas (1400m) with his performance at Trentham to decide if he travels further afield.

Tardelli was a A$360,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale buy with bloodstock agent Bruce Perry signing the ticket on behalf of majority owner Lib Petagna, who races the three-year-old with Jamieson Park, Little Avondale Stud and Greg Clarke’s Hawridge Developments.

He began his two-year-old career in Sydney with John O’Shea and Tom Charlton before relocating to New Zealand.

“He went for a nice break after he came over and had a couple of niggling things which we had to get right right and he’s doing really well now,” said Perry, who has enjoyed a long and successful association with Elsdon Park owner Petagna.

“He’ll got to the Wellington Guineas and then we’ll reassess things, there’s a small chance he could go to Brisbane if he went particularly well at Trentham.

“A race like the Fred Best Classic (Gr.3, 1400m) could suit him, otherwise there are plenty of nice 1400m or mile races here and then possibly Australia later on.”

Tardelli is out of the unraced Pierro mare Pierro Moss, who is a daughter of the stakes-winning Fastnet Rock mare Upon This Rock.

“We bought him as a potential stallion prospect, but unfortunately nothing quite went right when he was in Australia,” Perry said.

Tardelli is making up for lost time and has won two of his five New Zealand starts and has placed in both the Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m) at Trentham behind leading three-year-old Savaglee and the Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m).

“He is a very good-looking horse and Stephen (Marsh) and Michael McNab were adamant after he ran third in the Levin Classic that he is a Group One horse and they’re still of that opinion,” Perry said.

“Because things didn’t go quite right early, we missed a few of those opportunities.

“The plan is to get a foundation stallion at some point for Elsdon and it would be wonderful it was one we’ve been involved with from day one.”

Tardelli’s stablemate and Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) winner Ardalio (NZ) (Ardrossan), who also races in Petagna’s colours, is enjoying a freshen-up after her luckless seventh from a wide barrier in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).

“We rode her for a bit of luck and tried to get her in and did, but then another horse came out off the rail and bumped her out again,” Perry said.

“She ended up facing the breeze, three wide the trip and I thought she was huge and one of the runs of the race.

“She was entitled to give it away at the 300, but she still looked like she was going to be right in the finish with 100m to go.

“She’s having a wee break and will probably go to the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.3, 1200m) in late April.”

Meanwhile, another talented Petagna-raced filly in the Marsh team will resume at Tauranga on Saturday.

“Love Poem (Snitzel) will be stepping out and, all going well, will then head to Australia. There are Group options at the autumn carnival for her,” Perry said.

The Snitzel filly is a multiple black-type placegetter, including a runner-up finish in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and hasn’t raced since she ran fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).

– Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.

All of the King’s horses for all the King’s Men, Ardalio’s been picked to do it again – this time for the NZB Kiwi. 

The lightly raced filly has been selected by The King’s Men to represent their slot in the inaugural $3.5 million 1500-metre feature on Barfoot & Thompson Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8.

The King’s Men moved quickly to snap up Ardalio less than a week after her victory in the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) during the Karaka Millions twilight card at Ellerslie on January 25. In only the third start of her career, the daughter of Ardrossan exploded out of the pack to score a brilliant win. Her time of 1:08.86 was the second-fastest in the history of that feature three-year-old sprint.

Ardalio is a fitting representative for The King’s Men, whose syndicate member Mark Carter shared in the ownership of the filly’s sire Ardrossan under his family’s Jomara Bloodstock banner. 

Ardrossan’s ownership group also included Ardalio’s owner-breeder Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, and the stallion himself raced from the Cambridge stable of Ardalio’s trainer Stephen Marsh.

“We’re thrilled to have secured such an exciting filly to race for our slot in the NZB Kiwi,” Carter commented. “She’s won twice from only three starts and has been hugely impressive.

“We were at Ellerslie last Saturday when she won the Almanzor, and as soon as she crossed the finish line, we thought ‘this might be the one for us.

“In addition to what she’s done on the racetrack so far, we also really like her pedigree. We’re big fans of her sire Ardrossan, who we had a share in during his racing career, so she’s a good fit in more ways than one.”

Notably, Ardalio’s win in the Almanzor Trophy qualifies her for a share in an additional $1 million in bonuses on top of the NZB Kiwi’s base prizemoney. Horses that win selected Bonus Eligible races in either New Zealand or Australia, then finish in the top three in the NZB Kiwi, will receive bonuses of $600,000 for first, $250,000 for second or $150,000 for third.

“That initiative around the extra $1 million in bonuses was another real attraction from our perspective,” Carter said.

Petagna has first-hand experience with the concept of slot races. He also shared in the ownership of his homebred sprinter Lost And Running, who finished fourth in the A$15 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick in October of 2021.

“We’ve seen the excitement that these slot races can create,” he said. “One of the great things about them is the intrigue and interest that they generate through the weeks leading into the race as the Slot Holders make their selections.

“The big prizemoney is another important factor that generates a lot of publicity for the race as an event. It’s proven to be a fantastic thing for the sport in Australia, the signs are good that it will be the same here, and we’re very happy to be a part of it.

“It’s exciting to have a filly that we bred and race ourselves selected for the race, and it’s a real boost for her sire Ardrossan as well.

“We didn’t take Ardalio to the sales, because she wasn’t particularly big. We sent her to be pre-trained by Sam Logan, who really liked her all the way through, and then she went to Stephen Marsh and she didn’t take long to make a big impression on him.

“We couldn’t be happier with what she’s achieved on the racetrack so far, and now we can’t wait to take her back to Ellerslie again on March 8.”

Marsh has been similarly proud of what Ardalio has achieved within the space of just three starts so far. She made her debut at Matamata on December 20, kicking off her career with a stylish come-from-behind win.

Her first look around Ellerslie on January 12 produced a second placing, beaten by a head by Waikato Stud’s NZB Kiwi representative Sought After. The third-placegetter finished more than three lengths behind the first pair.

But it was the Almanzor Trophy that took her career to new heights.

“She’s still only lightly raced, and what she did on Karaka Millions night last week was outstanding,” Marsh said. “She’s a filly with a huge amount of upside.

“Her next start will be in the Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1400m) against the older mares at Matamata on February 15. That’s a suitable distance progression from the 1200m of the Almanzor, and it also gives us the right spacing with three-week gaps between the Almanzor, the Lisa Chittick and the Kiwi.

“Our team is absolutely thrilled to have her confirmed for a slot in the NZB Kiwi. It’s such an exciting new race on the New Zealand calendar, and it’s a real privilege to have a runner from our stable. We can’t wait.”

Slot Holders who are yet to confirm their runners in the NZB Kiwi are Barneswood Brady Nakhle, Ozzie Kheir, Cambridge Stud, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, Race Inc. and the Selangor Turf Club.

Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk | January 25, 2025

Six years after landing a Group Three prize on Karaka Millions night with Ardrossan, trainer Stephen Marsh and jockey Michael McNab kept it in the family with his exciting daughter Ardalio winning Saturday’s Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie.

Marsh trained Ardrossan throughout a nine-race career that produced four wins, headed by the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) on the 2019 Karaka Millions undercard. The son of Redoute’s Choice now stands at Waikato Stud, where he has sired 24 winners including six at stakes level.

The newest member of that list is the lightly raced Ardalio, whose owner-breeder Lib Petagna also shared in the ownership of Ardrossan. Saturday’s $250,000 three-year-old sprint was only the third career start for Ardalio, and she announced her arrival on the big stage with a brilliant performance.

Ardalio and McNab raced in midfield before angling to the outside at the home turn and bounding into contention. Front-running favourite Poetic Champion was swallowed up after the 200m mark, with Vegas Queen diving through along the inside while Ardalio pounced out wide.

Ardalio pulled ahead of Vegas Queen in the final 75m to score an emphatic one-length victory, clocking 1:08.86 for the 1200m.

“Ardrossan won a Group Three on this day himself, and for him to sire the winner of this race is a huge result for the stallion and for Lib,” Marsh said. “Ardrossan is getting a lot of winners.

“It was a big step up for Ardalio today, but she’s obviously a very good filly. All of her runs have been terrific. We’ll see where we go next with her, but we could look at something like the Uncle Remus (Listed, 1400m) in a few weeks’ time. We’ll just take her quietly.

“She was ready to explode today and it was a matter of keeping a lid on her leading into this. She’s a very talented filly.”

Marsh was thrilled to pick up a feature-race win on the eve of the National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka.

“This is the night,” the Cambridge trainer said. “This is where we want to be, and this is where we want to be winning races.

“Hopefully now we might be able to buy another horse or two this week and get some shares sold.”

Ardalio’s three-start career has produced two wins and a second, where she was beaten by a head by the talented Sought After at Ellerslie earlier this month. Ardalio has now earned $168,300 in stakes.

McNab has been in the saddle for all three of Ardalio’s starts.

“We landed in a nice spot today, then got to the outside and she was really electric,” he said. “She’s got a bright future.“I think she just got a bit lost the other day, racing up on the speed. Today, ridden a bit quieter, she was very good late.”

Story: Racing News

Photo: Peter Rubery, Race Images

A decade after winning his hometown Cup with Maygrove (Authorized), prominent Wellington owner Lib Petagna was back in the spotlight again on Trentham’s biggest day of the year on Saturday.

Petagna’s JML Bloodstock colours were carried to victory by emerging three-year-old Ballon d’Or (NZ) (U S Navy Flag), who upstaged a highly rated line-up in the Harcourts (1200m) on the Wellington Cup undercard.

The countdown to Saturday’s three-year-old sprint was dominated by Komocean (NZ) (Ocean Park), who had made a big impression winning both of her first two starts including a two-length defeat of Ballon d’Or over the same course and distance on December 21. But the tables were emphatically turned in Saturday’s rematch.

While $2.10 favourite Komocean set herself a daunting task with a costly slow start, Ballon d’Or and jockey Rory Hutchings took up an ideal position in third behind Keret (NZ) (Darci Brahma)i and Stone The Crows (NZ) (Charm Spirit).

Hutchings slid through along the inside in Kereti’s slipstream as the field came across the junction on to the course proper. Kereti found another kick at the 250m mark and took some catching, but Ballon d’Or warmed into his work and strode past that rival in the closing stages to win by three-quarters of a length. Albarossa (Vino Rosso) finished third, two and a half lengths behind the first pair.

“They don’t come much easier than that,” said Hutchings, who completed an early double on Wellington Cup Day when he won the next race on the card with Slipper Island.

“Ballon d’Or has been very consistent and deserved to get a good win down here today.

“I felt we were always in control of the race. Coming on to the course proper, I knew that he was ready to let go. He just doesn’t like to be in front for too long, so I had to time it right. I left it as late as I could before going for the whip, and there was an instant response when I did.”

Ballon d’Or is by The Oaks Stud stallion U S Navy Flag out of the Irish-bred Fastnet Rock mare Ireland’s Teardrop. Herself a winner over 2500m, Ireland’s Teardrop is the dam of five winners including the Gr.3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) and Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) placegetter Last Sight (NZ) (Showcasing).

Bred by the late Kevin Hickman, Ballon d’Or was offered by Valachi Downs at the 2022 National Weanling Sale at Karaka and was bought for $50,000 by Petagna’s bloodstock agent Bruce Perry.

Ballon d’Or has had 10 starts for two wins, five placings and $77,205 in stakes. His placings include highly creditable efforts behind the likes of NZB Kiwi (1500m) contender Sought After (NZ) (Tivaci) and Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) placegetter Domain Ace (NZ) (Swiss Ace).

Ballon d’Or is trained by the Matamata father-son team of Peter and Shaun McKay, who have now had seven winning raids on Trentham during their three seasons in partnership.

“That was a good win today, although it didn’t exactly go to plan,” Shaun McKay said. “I told Rory before the race that we might hopefully end up just behind the favourite, but we ended up flying the gates while she missed it.

“Rory gave him a gun ride and got him to settle well. He can ease up a little bit when he hits the front, but luckily the leader gave him something to chase for quite a long way.

“He’s slowly learning and I think he’ll get better and better. I’m not sure where he’ll get to distance-wise. We thought he might be a mile-plus type of horse, but he’s shown good ability down the chute today. Maybe we’ll keep him to 1200m to 1400m. But he’s got another win on the board now and is progressing well.

“I really like the stallion, U S Navy Flag. He hasn’t quite had a big horse or Group One winner yet, but I’m sure it’ll come.”

Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Lib Petagna’s Elsdon Park will offer its third draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Karaka later this month, and the Matamata nursery has upped the ante, with their consignment nearly doubling their previous offerings.

“We are taking up 29 (yearlings) and it’s a big job, especially stepping up from the number we had last year (15),” Elsdon Park General Manager Kerrie Cox said.

“This is our third yearling draft for Karaka. We are expanding and it’s exciting to be a part of.

“The calibre of horses that we have got as types and on pedigree is high, and there are some really exciting young sires in there as well.

“We have got some really nice types, they look like racehorses to me, they have been really well educated and raised on beautiful, hilly country.

“We have got such experienced people looking after these horses and they look fantastic, they have done a great job.”

Elsdon Park will be looking to build on last year’s success where they were crowned leading vendor by average after selling 14 of their 15 yearlings for an average of $271,429, highlighted by their top lot, the Zoustar colt out of Group One performer Evalina, who was purchased by Jamie Richards and Andrew Williams for $725,000.

“The fact that we were leading vendor by average across the sale was exciting because it showed people valued the stock that we brought to the market,” Cox said.

Elsdon Park’s main theme in this year’s draft is Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan, with Elsdon set to offer 10 of his progeny in Book 1.

“I think there are 15 Ardrossans in Book 1 and we have 10 of them. We 100 per cent believe in the stallion and we think he is going to end up being a good stallion,” Cox said.

“What he is doing at the moment is off very limited numbers and probably not the top-end mares as well, whereas the last couple of books that he has bred he has bred well over 100 mares.

“We sent some really nice mares to him. They are pedigrees that can match it in Book 1, and he produces such a good type, and that is why we have got the numbers we have in there.

“You are really proud when you pull one of those horses out in front of people because they look like athletes.”

Elsdon Park will offer full brothers to stakes winner Beau Dazzler and Karaka Millions 2YO contender Toretto (lot 228), and Group Two winner Yaldi (lot 90), and Cox said they both should garner plenty of attention from prospective buyers.

“Yaldi is a really big horse, he is tall. This boy is probably not going to be as monstrous as Yaldi, but he is still a big colt,” Cox said.

“He has got a gorgeous head, just like his Dad. A big jowl and is a strong, good-looking horse with plenty of length. He is a really nice horse and he should sell well.

“The Pwerfect colt (lot 228) is medium-sized, really well-balanced and put together, and is the spitting image of Beau Dazzler and Toretto. Toretto is in the Karaka Millions so hopefully he can run really well and be another highlight for the mare.”

Another Ardrossan yearling Cox is particularly excited to see go through the ring is lot 468, who is out of Baby Shacks, a sister to Group One performer Vigor and Group Two winner Joey Massino.

“She is quite a cool horse,” Cox said. “The staff have ownership of her so they will be excited when she goes through the ring.

“She is a great type with amazing movement and has been very well handled. She probably gets more food and handling than anything else.”

Sofia Rosa recorded plenty of highlights for Lib Petagna in her racing career, including winning the 2016 edition of the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) for trainer Stephen Marsh, and Cox is looking forward to seeing her Almanzor colt (lot 308) go through the ring.

“He is lovely,” Cox said. “She was a very good racehorse and one of Lib’s pride and joys. Almanzor leaves such beautiful stock, and he is her best progeny to date. He is really nice and he should find a good home.”

Cox also has a high opinion of the farm’s other Almanzor offering, lot 266, the filly out of Group Three performer Santa Catarina.

“I haven’t heard anyone say a bad word about her, she is a very nice filly. I am looking forward to her going through the ring,” she said.

Eldson Park have three yearlings in their draft by Champion New Zealand sire Savabeel, including lot 602, who is the first foal out of Zoustar mare Fall on a Star.

“He is a first foal and he is just gorgeous,” Cox said. “He has got such a good brain on him that I think you can keep him a colt, he is such a cruisy horse.

“I think he is a star on looks and he has got a tidy pedigree page behind him as well.”

Cox is looking forward to building on Elsdon Park’s success at Karaka, with the sale kicking off on Sunday, January 26.

“Lib has got a really gorgeous foundation of broodmares and every year we are building on that,” Cox said.

“We produce really good types, which is our goal. You have got to have a horse that looks like they are going to be an athlete. They have got to look like they are going to run, they have got to be sound and have a really good start at life, and I think we do that really well.”

Yaldi winning today’s Gr.2 Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m). Photo: Kenton Wright, Race Images

Story: Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

In a blockbuster edition of the Gr.2 Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m), outsider Midnight Edition and favoured runner Yaldi went to the line as one, with the latter securing the Boxing Day feature in a protest.

Yaldi had been an impressive juvenile, winning on debut before placing at stakes level in Australia. The imposing galloper had done little racing in his three-year-old season, making his first appearance since August when finishing a narrow second to Risque Ruler at Te Rapa earlier this month.

Promising Te Akau filly Damask Rose started a short-priced favourite for the Guineas, closing at a $1.90 ahead of Checkmate ($3.70) and Yaldi at $6.50. The filly was conservatively ridden from her wide gate while Yaldi bounced swiftly from the inside, settling in the box-seat third under Michael McNab, while Midnight Edition crossed to take the lead.

Midnight Edition’s jockey Matt Cartwright steadied the tempo and the gelding showed a decent kick at the top of the straight, hanging on to the lead until the final bounds, where Yaldi, with blinkers applied for the first time, powered up and they found the line in unison.

The judge was unable to separate the pair and the race was announced a dead-heat, but Yaldi’s trainer Andrew Forsman soon launched a protest, which later revealed interference with Midnight Edition shifting out slightly in the closing stages. Stewards deemed that enough to reward Yaldi with the outright victory, denying the Bruce Wallbank-trained galloper a $77 boilover.

Forsman admitted the race hadn’t been an easy watch through the mid-stages, but that made the win all the more pleasing for the Cambridge horseman.

“I was a bit worried mid-race as it wasn’t unfolding as we’d hoped, they were only going steadily and he was quite keen with the blinkers on for the first time, he said.

“I was really happy to see him knuckle down off the slow speed like he did.

“The blinkers are something we’ve toyed with for a little while, he’s trialled with them on before and looks around a lot. He’s still very raw and immature and he’s still learning, so I just thought he needed to focus a bit more after the other day at Te Rapa where he probably threw the race away.”

Yaldi was bred by Max Brown and is owned by Elsdon Park’s Lib Petagna along with David and Nicki Wilson.

Yaldi races in the colours of Elsdon Park, who purchased him out of Little Avondale Stud’s draft for just $50,000 at Karaka 2023 with the assistance of bloodstock agent Bruce Perry.

The son of Ardrossan is eligible for both the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), the latter a race Forsman holds an all-important slot for.

“The main target for this preparation has been the Karaka mile, and obviously the Kiwi and races like that are on his radar,” he said. “How we get to Karaka I’m not so sure, we’ll just see how he comes through it and talk to Lib, Bruce and the team.

“The Levin Classic (Gr.2, 1400m) is an option and a trip away may be a good thing for a horse like him, he’s learning and that experience can make a horse like him. We’ll see what comes of the next week or so and figure it out. 

“The 1500 of the Kiwi at Ellerslie is tailor-made for him, he doesn’t need to do too much more and you’d think with a bigger field with hopefully a more genuine tempo, it should suit him as well.”

Elsdon Park offer a full brother to Yaldi at the 2025 NZB Book One Sale.

Saltcoats winning at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Bradley Photos care of NZ Racing Desk

Story: NZ Racing Desk

Four-year-old gelding Saltcoats has posted his first victory on Australian soil when coming with a sustained run to land the Coolmore Spelling @ Mount White Handicap (1800m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The Chris Waller-trained son of Ardrossan came from near the rear of the field under Tommy Berry and made a long sustained run to defeat fellow Kiwi-breds So Dazzling and Tavi Time by the best part of a length.

Winner of the Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) in May of his juvenile year for original trainer Samantha Logan, the talented galloper was sold across the Tasman and sports the colours of prominent owner Ozzie Kheir. He races for a syndicate with breeder and original sole owner of the horse Lib Petagna retaining a share.

“He has always shown us promise but we didn’t know what to expect today from the draw (13),” Waller said.

“I said to just go back and ride him quietly and hope that he can blend into the race, which he certainly did and he sustained a long run.

“He had a small incident before the start of this preparation which has held him back and it looks like he is in good shape now.”

Sent out a $12 chance, Saltcoats had been a well-beaten tenth first-up on a Good3 track at Kembla Grange.

“It was definitely too firm at Kembla Grange last start, which was disappointing because he was going so well,” winning rider Tommy Berry said.

“I said to my manager that we just need to draw a gate and I think he can win next start. He has just been doing everything right at home and working very well.

“I had in the back of my mind to go forward and Chris said nup – not today, we’ll go back and get a little bit of luck.

“Probably the winning was down the side. There was a three-wide line and I was able to improve into the race still with cover and he is only second-up at 1800m, so he has got a bit of improvement and Chris is taking his time with him, which is dearly needed.

“He is quite a keen going horse and you don’t know what is there until you let him off the bit but he deserved that today.”

Now the winner of two of his 10 starts with a further five placings, Saltcoats was third in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) won by Wymark back in March.

By promising Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan, Saltcoats is out of the lightly raced Savabeel mare Savanite, a half-sister to the Gr.2 Waikato Gold Cup (2400m) winner Singing Star, who in turn is the dam of Group Three winner Miss Selby.

A Group One performed half-brother to Incentivise, Ardrossan stands at a fee of $20,000+GST at Waikato Stud.

With just 52 runners to date, Ardrossan has sired seven stakes performers and four stakes winners for good early figures of 7.7% stakes winners to runners.

Beau Dazzler scoring his second stakes win in the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes. Photo: Grant Peters via NZ Racing Desk

Story: NZ Racing Desk

Dewar Partnership-bred three-year-old Beau Dazzler has flagged his staying ability with a strong victory in the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday for trainers Tony & Maddysen Sears.

The son of Ardrossan was the winner of the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes (1000m) as a juvenile and performed with credit when crossing the Tasman to finish seventh in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) when closing well.

The gelding again ran meritoriously and without luck when fourth in the Listed Phoenix Stakes (1500m) and fifth in the Gr..1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m) through the Queensland Winter Carnival, but all indicators are Beau Dazzler will appreciate getting out further in trip.

Now in his Classic season, Beau Dazzler overcame the inside draw on the deteriorating Heavy 8 surface under a well-plotted Jag Guthmann-Chester ride and relished the tempo added by eventual fourth Apuntar to power to a three-length win from Sun Worshipper with Madame Lexis third.

“He has always shown us a lot but he is a very tricky horse,” Maddy Sears said.

“He is not an easy horse to do things with and I do have to make mention of James who rides him every day as he is very naughty, but we thought he was a very good chance today.

“We bought him as a Derby-style of horse, and we didn’t think the distance would be any problem whatsoever and when the rain came in it was almost like a 2000m race with how heavy it was.

“His ability prevailed, and it was a great ride by Jag. He drew barrier one, but he kept him off the fence and he just speared through and put them away.”

Sears said Guthmann-Chester was an underrated rider.

“He is very strong and he vary rarely does things wrong on horses and he got the job done today,” she said.

With a Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) campaign the focus through the winter, Beau Dazzler is likely to have one more run this campaign.

“I believe there is a 2000m race in two weeks’ time that he will run in and then we will put him away and I think he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Queensland Derby,” Sears said.

“Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman bought him for us in New Zealand and we have had a lot of luck in those colours with Melvin (Foo) and Suat (Wee). He was obviously a stakes winner as a two-year-old and now he has gone on to do it as a three-year-old, so who knows what the future holds but he is a horse that keeps on improving.

“He is a very cool horse and I think there is a lot more in-store for him.”

Beau Dazzler was offered by Mapperley Stud in Book 2 of Karaka 2023, where he was bought for $85,000. Bred by the Dewar Partnership, Beau Dazzler is by Waikato Stud’s promising young sire Ardrossan out of the Pentire mare Pwerfect, who comes from the family of northern hemisphere Group One stars such as Fame And Glory and Legatissimo.

Beau Dazzler’s juvenile younger full-brother Toretto is an early qualifier for next year’s Karaka Million 2YO (1200m), having prevailed at Ellerslie a fortnight ago for Hollie Wynyard, while another full-brother will be offered as Lot 228 from the draft of Elsdon Park at next month’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales (see picture below)

Elsdon Park’s confirmed draft for the 2025 NZB Book One Yearling Sale comprises of 30 quality youngsters.

These comprise: