Bulgari caps consistent form with Ellerslie success

Promising galloper Bulgari (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) capped a run of consistent form of late with a last to first performance to take out the Trackside.co.nz 1500 at Ellerslie on Saturday.

The Darryn and Briar Weatherley-prepared colt had been threatening to win at short notice with a series of handy runs in stakes company followed by a fast-finishing effort to place second behind King’s English (Snitzel) over 1100m at the venue a week earlier.

Rider Corentin Berge followed instructions to the letter aboard the son of Hello Youmzain by allowing him to find his feet in the early rush and holding him up for one burst in the straight.

Despite being last in the six-horse field turning for home, once Berge gave him his head Bulgari lengthened stride stylishly to burst past eventual runner-up Accentuate (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and take the win by half a length at the line.

Briar Weatherley was delighted to see the way Bulgari settled in the running after having some pre-race concerns about his ability to stretch out to the 1500m distance of the race if he began to over-race for Berge.

“We didn’t want them to go slowly as we didn’t want him to get over-racing as we’ve never really thought he could get past 1200m,” Weatherley said.

“He has made a liar of us and we’re very pleased as he is such an honest horse, has raced in good company and has a bright future.

“We will have to go home now and really think about our plans for the future. We have always had in mind (thoughts of) taking him to Riccarton for the sprint races (during New Zealand Cup Week in November), but now he has won over 1500m we may have to re-think those plans.

“Dad and I love him to bits as he is such a dude and that’s why we have kept him a colt. We can’t bring ourselves to geld him as he has an attitude to die for and is really the stable pet.”

Bulgari is out of the stakes placed O’Reilly mare O’Naturelle (NZ), a daughter of Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) winner Naturo (NZ) (Postponed). He was purchased by the Weatherley family for $220,000 from the Jamieson Park draft during the 2024 Book 1 Sale at Karaka.

His second victory from 11 starts has now lifted his career prizemoney earnings above the $112,000 mark.

It didn’t take long for the stable to add a second winner to their haul for the day as maiden galloperRoc de Night Away (NZ)(Contributer) emulated her stablemate by storming home out wide to complete her first raceday victory at just career start number four.

Handled patiently by rider Tayla Mitchell, the daughter of Contributor sat wide in midfield after jumping from barrier 14.

Mitchell began to get the filly closer to the action approaching the home bend before mounting a likely challenge out in the middle of the track. Despite covering plenty of extra ground Roc de Night Away never shirked her task and hit the front within the shadows of the winning post to hold out the late challenges of Dare To Proisir (NZ) (Proisir) and Facilitate (NZ) (Wrote).

Weatherley admitted to plenty of emotion with the victory as it was the first winning ride for the stable by her close friend Mitchell.

“She is a filly that has a lot of upside to her,” she said.

“I just want to say it is Tayla’s first win for us and I don’t want to get emotional, but she is a good friend of mine, so I’m pleased she has ridden a winner for us.”

Roc de Night Away is out of the stakes placed mare Roc De Chine (Fastnet Rock) and is raced by a large group of owners that include members of the Weatherley family along with former New Zealand Silver Ferns netball captain Casey Kopua.