3 minute read

New Zealand's Waikato Stud put its stamp on the final black type races of the season in Australia and New Zealand on Saturday and also celebrated a Derby win in Asia.

Waikato Stud bred and sold products won the Listed Winter Challenge at Rosehill in Sydney, the Listed Ryder Stakes at Otaki in NZ and the prestigious Macau Derby at Taipa.

All three winners – Seaway, Sai Fah and Sacred Capital – were sold by Waikato through the New Zealand Bloodstock sale ring at Karaka.

SEAWAY (Ocean Park x Miss Purrfection by One Cool Cat) recorded his first black-type victory with a strong performance in the $150,000 Listed Winter Challenge (1500m) at Rosehill.

Trained by Chris Waller, he was bred and sold by Waikato Stud to Star Thoroughbreds syndicator Denise Martin for $NZ210,000 at the 2016 Karaka Premier Sale.

Seaway has now had 15 starts for six wins and was G2 placed in the Queensland Guineas as a 3YO, earning $377,425 prizemoney.

His dam Miss Purrfection is a half-sister to the G2 winner and G1 placed sprinter Cheiron (Centaine) and has three to race for three winners including including the Singapore star Kiwi Karma, winner of eight races including the Golden Horseshoe, Singapore 3YO Sprint and Prestige Classic at stakes level.

Seaway is also third individual stakes winner by Waikato Stud's Cox Plate winner Ocean Park (Thorn Park).

SACRED CAPITAL (O'Reilly x Honolulu by Savabeel) led home a quinella for graduates of the NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka.\in the $M2.6 million Macau Derby at Taipa.

A $NZ580,000 purchase from the Waikato Stud draft at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale, Sacred Capital is raced by Raffles Farm owner Dato Yap Kin San.

Bred by Waikato Stud, Sacred Capital is the three-quarter brother in blood to G1 winner Alamosa and was initially purchased at the sale by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, Bruce Perry Bloodstock and Michael Wallace's Waterford Bloodstock.

He began his career under the name of Rellson in Australia, where his six starts included a maiden win.

Since relocating to Macau, Sacred Capital has won five of his seven starts and earned more than M$2 million in prize-money (NZ$374,000).

He comes from a strong New Zealand family, with his dam Honolulu being a half-sister to the multiple G1 winner and sire Alamosa (O'Reilly).

He is the third Macau Derby winner in five years for Raffles Racing joining The Alfonso and Sacred Man.

"We had earmarked him at that Ready to Run Sale, but the final price was too rich for our blood," Raffles Farm manager Bruce Sherwin said.

"The opportunity later arose to take a shareholding in him and we jumped at the chance as we had identified him as the ideal type for Macau.

"Dato Yap's son Kyan made an offer to buy out the other partners in the horse, which was accepted and he was sent to Joe Lau's stable where he has absolutely thrived.

The 2016 Ready to Run Sale also produced the Derby runner-up Eclair Lightning (Darci Brahma) where he cost $NZ125,000.

SAI FAH (Rios x Rongonui by Fast 'N' Famous) landed New Zealand's e final stakes race of the season in the Listed Ryder Stakes at Otaki, providing his sire Rios (Hussonet) with his second stakes winner and a tridfectafor graduates of the New Zealand Bloodstock sales.

Sai Fah bred and sold by Waikato Stud for just $NZ6000 at the 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka; the runner-up Flaunting (Showcasing) cost $NZ40,000 at Book 2 of Karaka 2018, while the $20,000 Karaka Book 1 graduate Jager Bombed (Charm Spirit) was third.

Trained by Stephen Marsh for owners the Mission Downs Trust, Sai Fah has now won three of his eight starts and $58,560 in stakes – almost 10 times his purchase price.

Sai Fah is the third foal of the Fast 'n' Famous mare Rongonui , who also went through the ring during the same 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale, selling for just $1000 to Upstage Bloodstock.

Sai Fah won the first two-year-old race of the NZ season in September while runner-up Flaunting has now had six starts for two wins and three placings including a win in the Listed Castletown Stakes at Wanganui on June 1.