Khanshe storms to victory in Travis Stakes

Central Districts mare Khanshe (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) put an unlucky effort at her last start well behind her when she produced a strong finishing burst to claim her biggest career victory, the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The Fraser Auret-prepared five-year-old had caught the eye as one of very few horses to make up ground in the Trentham home straight in her last start where she finished fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) last month.

With her normal racing pattern of dropping back early in her races before finding the line, she was favoured to have a strong chance in the Te Rapa feature with only nine race rivals and a likely strong pace up front in the offing.

What couldn’t be predicted was the chaotic start to the contest where Privy Garden (NZ) (So You Think) stayed in the barriers but in doing so affected the chances of Monologue (NZ) (Contributer), who was tardily away after being knocked sideways by a barrier handler who had been contacted by Privy Garden being fractious as the gates opened.

That left the remaining eight runners strung out in a line as Electron set up a solid pace in front of favourite Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor), with Khanshe and rider Matthew Cameron back in last position alongside Lotus (NZ) (Time Test).

Electron began to feel the pinch at the 600m as Qali Al Farrasha moved alongside her and took over comfortably shortly after straightening.

Cameron sent Khanshe through a gap one off the fence and set out after Qali Al Farrasha who was putting up a tenacious fight, however, the daughter of Mongolian Khan got the upper hand in the closing stages to win moving away by a long neck, with Lotus closing late for third.

Auret had expressed confidence before the race and was suitably proud of the effort by his charge, despite her giving him heart palpitations when searching for clear running in the straight.

“I wasn’t feeling very well (in the run home),” Auret said.

“She is a little bit one dimensional and because of that she can get in a little bit of trouble.

“She has just got such a will to win and a lovely turn of foot, so it was phenomenal.

“There were some very good horses in that field so to finish it off like that was so good.

“It’s her third stakes win after just 20 starts so there is a lot to look forward to as winning over 2000m opens up so many doors for her.

“She has been up a long time so we might pull stumps now and look after her for another campaign later in the year.”

Cameron was thankful for getting the luck he required in the home straight.

“It was a little bit awkward and I had to go to the fence when I didn’t really want to,” he said.

“She is a mare that likes to roll into it, but I knew she is a top mare with a good turn of foot.

“Luckily the splits came and she got through the gap and came home well.

“She is right up there and is probably still another year away.”

Following the race there was a Stewards inquiry launched into the start with both Privy Garden and Monologue deemed late scratchings.

Raced by the estate of the late Rick Orr, who also bred her, Khanshe is out of the unraced O’Reilly mare Folies Bergere (NZ) who is a daughter of stakes winning sprinter Dashing Donna (NZ) (Don Eduardo) who finished runner-up in the 2009 Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1200m).

She has now won six of her twenty starts, with three of those at stakes level and more than $359,000 in prizemoney.

Meanwhile, Auret is now looking forward to watching his homebred gelding Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress), the world’s best sprinter, shoot for his 20^th straight win when he contests the Gr.1 Chairman's Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. - Kevin Robertson LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Drops Of God dominant in Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes

Exciting filly Drops Of God (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) proved to be too good for her rivals at Te Rapa on ANZAC Day when running out a dominant victor in the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained three-year-old had shown plenty of ability in her three prior starts, winning her first two outings before running third in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) behind stablemate and subsequent Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) winner Belle Cheval.

She was subsequently freshened with the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes in mind and her trainers were quietly confident heading into Saturday’s three-year-old feature.

Jockey Craig Grylls took luck out of the equation from their outside barrier in the 14-horse field, launching his filly out of the gates and sending her straight to the front where he dictated terms, with Drops Of God running out an eventual 2-1/2 length victor over Central Districts raider Platinum Pantheon (Hanseatic), with a nose back to Little Black Dress (Snitzel) in third.

“We were pretty confident coming into this off her work,” Grylls said. “She has been flying in her work and Sam said to me to be positive with intent from the barrier.

“I got there (front) pretty easy and I felt I was able to give her a little bit of a breather around the bend and once she has balanced up in the straight I have only had to go for her at half tempo and she has done the rest.

“They have got a top filly on their hands here and she has shown that today.”

Assistant trainer Reece Trumper was rapt the stable’s plan had come to fruition and he said Australia could now be on the cards for the exciting filly.

“She is an exciting filly on the way up,” he said.

“She was faultless in her first preparation, she led up in her first two victories and things didn’t go right for her in the Almanzor Trophy, but she was brave when running third in that.

“She freshened up well and we targeted this race. She has had two pieces of work, one at Te Aroha for a gallop and then last Saturday at Ellerslie, and we couldn’t fault her heading into it.

“We thought we would be positive from that draw. We thought if we could get a few soft sectionals, which Craig did, she would be far too good for them, and she was.

“It (Australia) has been spoken about, but no races have been discussed yet. Ben Thompson (Australian jockey) rode her on Karaka Millions night in the Almanzor Trophy and he said she was certainly well up to that grade, so you take advice from people like that.”

Bred by Greg Tomlinson under his Nearco Stud banner, Drops Of God is raced by Tomlinson in partnership with Raptors Thoroughbred, and she has now won three of her four starts and earned more than $136,000 in prizemoney.

Drops Of God’s victory completed a stable treble for Te Akau Racing at Te Rapa on Saturday, with stablemates System Of Play (Ole Kirk) and Talisker (NZ) (Embellish) victorious earlier in the day in the Beyond Water 2YO (1200m) and Allied Security (1400m) respectively, while Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor) came within a neck of victory in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m), which was taken out by the Fraser Auret-trained Khanshe (NZ) (Mongolian Khan).

Meanwhile, at Riccarton, the stable celebrated more stakes success courtesy of Perlino (NZ) (Super Seth) in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m). - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

White Robe Lodge enjoy red letter day at Riccarton

The Brian and Shane Anderton team and White Robe Lodge enjoyed a day for the ages at Riccarton on Saturday when they collected two of the three stakes features on the ANZAC Day card.

Underrated mare Inflamed (NZ) (Ghibellines) kicked off proceedings by running down race favourite Iron Hawk (Written Tycoon) to win the Listed Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m) before outsider Bauble (NZ) (Ghibellines) ($27) defied a muddling form line to storm home out wide and capture the Gr.3 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m).

Waikato-based jockey Courtney Barnes, who served her apprenticeship with the stable, made the trip south to partner the seven-year-old son of former White Robe Lodge stallion Ghibellines and made use of the gelding’s strong finishing burst to come from a clear last at the 600m to defeat home town favourite Matscot (NZ) (Haradasun), Loose Sally (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and Royal Valour (NZ) (Belardo) in a blanket finish that saw seven runners virtually in a line 50m from the winning post.

Shane Anderton was struggling to take it all in shortly after the race.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Anderton said. “He was wide on the corner but travelling good. It took the whole length of the straight but he got there.

“It was a good, tough effort and he has really stepped up today. He has got better with time and we have had a lot of fun with him.”

Anderton also acknowledged the efforts of Barnes who began her journey as a jockey with their team.

“She was apprenticed to us and went right through the system with us,” he said. “It’s good to be able to get that one with her.”

Barnes was thrilled to pick up such a big win for her former mentors.

“It means a lot doing it for BJ and Shane as that was where it all began,” she said.

“He (Bauble) was quite relaxed out of the gates and after 200m I thought maybe I should have given him a dig. He started building from the half mile and really found the line.”

Bred and raced by Brian Anderton and his late wife Lorraine, Bauble is out of their Seasoned Star mare La Gem (NZ).

He has now won eight of his 35 starts and over $211,000 in prizemoney. - Kevin Robertson LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

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Perlino enjoys Warstep Glory

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