Kiwi Horses Rise to the Occasion

Kiwi Horses Rise to the Occasion

New Zealand-bred Big Occasion (Mellifont x Repremand) lived up to his name on Friday night, taking out the feature on the card in Singapore, the Open S$125,000 (2000m).

A Karaka Festival Sale graduate from Poplar Lodge, he sold for NZ$15,000 and has since put together a nice record of four wins and five placings from seventeen starts trained by expatriate New Zealander, Laurie Laxon, for Champagne Stable. Laxon had a successful evening, producing Titan Fun (Danske x Our Shelby) to run third in the feature and he also had another winner on the card.

The other winners offered for sale by New Zealand Bloodstock were Festival Sale graduate Magic Ace (Prized x Labby), who recorded his second win from eleven starts in the Progress S$75,000 (1400m) and Zambucca (Towkay x Straitaway) in the Class 5 over 1600m. Magic Ace was purchased by Dean Wiles for NZ$9,000 from Haunui Farm.

The other winner for Laxon was the kiwi-bred Magician (Magic of Sydney x Isle Remember), breaking through for his second victory from his tenth start in the Class 5 (1100m). A half-brother to Magician has been entered in the upcoming National Yearling Sales Series. He is a colt by the Sunday Silence sire, Black Tuxedo.

Half the Card to the Kiwis

Another prominent display from the Kiwis at Sha Tin on Saturday saw five New Zealand-bred winners, including two quinellas and one trifecta, plus a hat trick of wins by New Zealand trainer, Paul O'Sullivan.

Seven-year-old, Nasa Pearl (Centaine x Nasajuanita), was impressive in the HK$750,000 Class 3 Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera Handicap (1800m) to seal the third win on the day for Paul O'Sullivan. The gelding settled at or near the rear for most of the journey before overtaking the field in the home straight and scoring comfortably by one-and-a-quarter lengths.

Nasa Pearl was a NZ$52,000 purchase by Stuart Hale at the Karaka Select Sale from Waikato Stud, and is now raced in Hong Kong by Mr & Mrs Kam Shing Kan. A half-sister to Nasa Pearl, by Danasinga, has been entered for next year's Karaka Carnival Sale, the new Sale introduced by New Zealand Bloodstock to coincide with Auckland Cup Week in March 2007.

Other NZB graduates to fly the flag include Packing Winner (Zabeel x Musical Note) who headed a New Zealand quinella with Silverbird (Pompeii Court x A Little Sneek) in second; Cheerful Happiness (Pins x Stuck Up) who also lead a Kiwi quinella with Charming Speedy (Deputy Governor x Georgia); and Dansolde (Danasinga x Tisolde) - trained by O'Sullivan for Mr & Mrs Mark Fong.

Packing Winner looks to be an exciting prospect breaking maiden ranks at his fourth start in the Class 4 over 1600m. He was bought by Dominion Bloodstock for NZ$300,000 at the Karaka Premier Sale from Cambridge Stud. Twenty-eight horses by Zabeel are entered in next year's National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka.

Cheerful Happiness, by New Zealand sire of the moment, Pins, was a NZ$50,000 purchase at the Karaka Select Sale. A half-brother to Dansolde, by No Excuse Needed, has been entered in the Karaka Premier Sale in January. Tisolde (by Tights) has produced seven individual winners from seven to race.

The other New Zealand-bred Medic Legion (Sandtrap x Lady Daintree), who scored his first win in the Class 4 event over 1400m, lead a New Zealand-bred trifecta ahead of Byron (Tale of the Cat x Zorina) and Sohna (Canny Lad x Zinarush), and completed O'Sullivan's hat trick of winners on the day.

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