In-house rivalry building at NZB ahead of Gold Trail Stakes

There’s been a fair bit of banter in New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka office this week, with fillies owned by a pair of the auction house’s longest-serving employees going head-to-head in the Gr.3 HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings on Saturday.

International Bloodstock Manager John Cameron co-bred and is in the ownership of the Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall-trained Hawea, while Insurance Advisor Jim Bruford’s colours will be carried by the Ben and Ryan Foote-trained Actionbelle.

Both fillies have gone through the Karaka sales ring, with Cameron selling Hawea to Brendon McCullum and Richardson Racing for $300,000 last year, and subsequently remained in the ownership, while Bruford purchased Actionbelle at last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale for $90,000 and syndicated her amongst friends.

They have both showed plenty of promise to date, with Hawea winning last month’s Listed Chittick Family Fillies Classic (1100m) at Taupo after placing in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old, while in her two starts as a juvenile, Actionbelle placed on debut before winning the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Otaki in July.

It will be the first time Hawea and Actionbelle will meet on raceday, but they did get a sight of each other recently when Hawea beat Actionbelle in their 1050m trial at Te Rapa a fortnight ago.

Bruford said he is enjoying the friendly rivalry with Cameron, and their colleagues haven’t been shy about stoking it this week.

“We have been working together for a long time,” Bruford said. “I have been here 33 years and John has been here for over 50.

“There is a bit of respected rivalry. We have been at the office a couple of days this week and have had a chinwag over this and that, and the other staff all chuckle about what is going to happen.

“We will both be there on course.”

It’s also fitting that the Gold Trail Stakes is a part of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year series, and both Bruford and Cameron are hoping their fillies can gain maximum points this weekend.

“The Hawke’s Bay Thoroughbred Breeders are the main sponsor, but it is a New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year race, and we are all looking to get some points in that. Both of us are preparing for the (NZ) 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m), it is quite exciting.”

Bruford was taken by Actionbelle when he inspected her at Henley Park during her Ready to Run Sale preparation, and he is pleased he put his hand up to buy her.

“I bought her at the Ready to Run Sale last year. I have got a few horses that I ssyndicate,and I had a bit of interest from some of my owners if I bought a filly,” Bruford said. “I always liked Bivouac and I think I bought her under the odds. She was an athletic type of filly and she breezed nicely. She was a typical Ready to Run Sale product, you can see a bit more than you do as a yearling.”

Actionbelle has already earned back half of Bruford’s initial outlay, and he is hoping she will surpass that figure as she progresses through spring.

“She has shown us enough in her two runs,” Bruford said. “We went down to the Castletown after an encouraging third in her first start. She did what we wanted on a Heavy track, so we were pretty happy with that.

“If you can get some black type as a two-year-old it is great and we had a reasonable opinion of her, and we still do. We gave her a little break to lead into the Gold Trail to give her a crack at something a bit better as a three-year-old filly. It (Gold Trail) is a good field, but we will be there trying our best.”

While Bruford will be trackside at Hastings on Saturday, he will also be keeping a close on Riccarton where another of his syndicated horses, Vendabelle, will resume in the Cup Week Tickets On Sale Now (1400m) for trainer Anna Furlong.

The two-win mare came of age in autumn when winning one and placing in four of her five starts, and Bruford is hoping she can build on that momentum as a five-year-old.

“She was very consistent in autumn and hopefully she will improve on that now,” he said.

“I am quite surprised that the TAB have got her as favourite for the race. She has drawn 20 of 21.

“She is the older half-sister to Grocer’s Girl, but she didn’t come anywhere near as early as Grocer’s Girl did. She has got ability, but I think she will need a bit more ground before she shows her best.”

Bruford has taken a liking to Vendabelle and Grocer’s Girl’s dam Vendella, having purchased all four of her progeny to date.

“I started off with Vendabelle and then bought Grocer’s Delight, who showed a lot of promise before she unfortunately fractured a leg and we had to put her down,” Bruford said. “Grocer’s Girl was the third one and we have got the Ocean Park gelding, who is called Ocean Trader, that we bought from the online yearling sale in April. He is the fourth and he has just turned two.”

Bruford is particularly excited about the prospects of the Tony Pike-trained Grocer’s Girl, who races in the silks of trans-Tasman syndicator OTI Racing.

The daughter of Tarzino has placed in three of her five starts to date, including runner-up in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m), and she will likely join Actionbelle in the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November.

“Grocer’s Girl has been very promising,” Bruford said. “We were tossing up whether to have a go at the VRC Oaks (Gr.1, 2500m) or remain in New Zealand, and we decided we will target the New Zealand races rather than going to Melbourne.

“We are thinking more of the autumn distance races rather than spring, but she will go to the 1000 Guineas and we will progress from there.

“They will both (Actionbelle and Grocer’s Girl) be qualified to get in and it is quite possible that they will both be there competing against each other."