Rare Toorak Double for Solzhenitsyn (NZ)

Rare Toorak Double for Solzhenitsyn (NZ)

The Kiwi-bred Solzhenitsyn (NZ) (St. Petersburg) claimed his second Group 1 A$400,000 David Jones Toorak Handicap (1600m) win at Caulfield on Saturday, becoming only the fifth horse to win back-to-back Toorak Handicaps in its 132 year history.

Solzhenitsyn Toorak
Solzhenitsyn (NZ) winning the Toorak Handicap on Saturday.

New Zealand-bred horses have now won five of the past six Toorak Handicaps, including the last four in succession. Four of the wins have been recorded by New Zealand Bloodstock Sale graduates with (King) Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire), Alamosa (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Solzhenitsyn.

NZB’s National Weanling Sale graduate came into the weekend’s feature race with good form having won or placed in all three runs this campaign. He was a last start third in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes but had to carry the equal top weight of 58kgs on Saturday, six kilograms more than he carried to victory in last year’s win.

The son of St. Petersburg was superbly ridden by Nash Rawiller, with Rawiller positioning the gelding in a perfect spot in front of mid-field in a fast run race.

The Robert Heathcote trained Solzhenitsyn hit the front with fellow Karaka graduate Blackie (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe) in the Caulfield straight and produced the best turn of foot to break clear of the field to score victory by 1.3 lengths over the fast-finishing Trevieres (Gold Away), with Blackie finishing a game third.

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Bred: Grande Vue Lodge Offered: Grande Vue Lodge Purchased: Paul Willets at New Zealand Bloodstock's 2007 National Weanling Sale - $10,000
The Jewel of the Championship

The New Zealand Bloodstock Spring WFA Championship at Caulfield concluded on Saturday with Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock) a dominant winner of the Group 1 A$400,000 Cathay Pacific Caulfield Stakes (2000m), collecting the Championship title.
Atlantic Jewel Caulfield Stakes
Atlantic Jewel took out the NZB Spring WFA Championship at Caulfield with victory in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes.

In a small field of five horses that was packed full of Group 1 form, the daughter of Fastnet Rock adopted new riding tactics as Michael Rodd elected to position the Mark Kavanagh trained mare near the tail of the field.

The field raced in single file for most of the 2000m journey with the David Hayes trained Spacecraft setting the early pace and at one point Atlantic Jewel looked to be around eight lengths off the leader.

When the field entered the straight they had packed up and Rodd was within striking distance on the hot favourite who swooped to lead with 200m to go. Rodd rode the mare out to the line, winning by four-lengths from Foreteller (Dansili) in second and Super Cool in third (Fastnet Rock).

The five-year-old mare is the horse of the moment in Australia having won 10 out of her 11 career starts, her only defeat coming three weeks earlier when beaten by the barest of margins by (It’s a) Dundeel (NZ).

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War Affair (NZ) Dominates Singapore 3YO Series

Brilliant New Zealand-bred three-year-old War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly) completed a clean sweep of the inaugural More Magic 3YO Championship with success in the Sgp-3 S$150,000 Magic Millions 2013 More Magic 3YO Championship (1600m) in Singapore last night.
War Affair More Magic
War Affair (NZ) winning the Sgp-3 More Magic 3YO Championship at Kranji.

Trained by New Zealander Mark Walker, the three-year-old gelding came into the final leg of the Series as the impressive winner of the first two legs with an overall race record of five wins from six starts.

It was the first time any of the eight three-year-olds in the field had stepped up to a mile but trainer Walker was confident that the son of O’Reilly would appreciate the step up in distance.

The gelding owned by the Warplan Syndicate settled midfield in a moderately run race. As the field was turning the final corner, champion jockey Joao Moreira looked to get War Affair to the outside but found trouble as the pair were pushed off balance and ended up very wide on the track.

Fellow Kiwi-bred horse Daniel (NZ) (Guillotine) had ascertained a gap close to the rails and had dashed to the lead. War Affair set out after the well-regarded Daniel and the pair cleared away from the field to fight out the finish with War Affair asserting his dominance over the final stages to win by half-a-length with a further 5.5 lengths back to third.
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