Half-Brother to Ocean Park (NZ) at Karaka 2013

Half-Brother to Ocean Park (NZ) at Karaka 2013

For the fifth time in the last six years, the weight-for-age championship of Australasia has been won by a New Zealand bred horse, with the kiwi trained Karaka graduate Ocean Park (NZ) winning Saturday’s A$3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.

Himself a graduate of NZB’s Select Yearling Sale, this year the Karaka Premier Sale will feature a half-brother to Ocean Park by Waikato Stud’s resident sire Pins, sire of 46 stakes winners including Cox Plate winner El Segundo.

Set to be offered by Brent & Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, Brent Taylor is extremely impressed with the colt as he progresses towards Karaka 2013.
Ocean Park Cox Plate
Ocean Park (NZ) races past All Too Hard
to win the Cox Plate

“Ocean Park’s dam Sayyida throws lovely types,” commented Taylor. “Having Ocean Park make $150,000 in the 2010 Select Sale and then Lady Sayyida top the Sale the following year is a testament to that, and the Pins colt is very much in that mould, he’s a lovely type.

“He is progressing nicely towards the Sale. He’s a strong, balanced colt and is a really good moving horse as well so we are very happy with him.”

“We raced Ocean Park’s dam Sayyida and we have always thought that she was potentially the best filly we have ever raced. Roger James trained her and she showed an immense amount of potential, winning both her three-year-old races, before she broke down in the Group 2 Avondale Guineas.”

“Through a lot of hard work we managed to save her and it’s been a real thrill to see her express her talent through her progeny.”

Trained by Gary Hennessy, Ocean Park (Thorn Park x Sayyida by Zabeel) remains unbeaten this season in four Group 1 races having gone into Saturday’s Moonee Valley feature with wins in the Group 1 Makfi Stakes, Group 1 Underwood Stakes and Group 1 Caulfield Stakes.

The four-year-old was given a superb ride by Glen Boss who settled Ocean Park towards the back of the field about 10 lengths off the lead after being slowly away from the gates. Keeping off the rails, Boss stoked up the entire 600 metres from home, and in a tough display after racing widest on the turn, Ocean Park reeled in All Too Hard (Casino Prince) inside the final 50 metres to win by a neck.

“It was a huge performance,” commented Gary Hennessy. “He has a tremendous will to win and great courage.”

“Glen Boss rode a great race and said on Saturday night that the only other horse he has ridden that had that much fight in him was Fastnet Rock which is a massive accolade, the horse just loves to win.

“At the moment we are planning to head to the Mackinnon Stakes this weekend. The horse is bucking out of his skin but he got galloped on at the 1200 metres and lost a shoe so as long as he comes right in the next day or two we will likely contest the race.”

Ocean Park is the latest star to come from the burgeoning Karaka Select Sale, the second session of the NZB National Yearling Sales Series. With a three-year average Sale price of less than NZ$50,000, the Select Sale has produced seven Group 1 winners in the last two seasons including 10 time Group 1 winner Mufhasa (Pentire), Hong Kong Mile winner Able One (Cape Cross) and Queensland Oaks winner Quintessential (Fast ‘N’ Famous).

Bred by Trelawney Thoroughbreds, Ocean Park was purchased by Gary Hennessy from Trelawney Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2010 Karaka Select Sale for $150,000.

Raced by Hennessy in partnership with Hong Kong owners Andrew Wong and Steve Yan, the son of Thorn Park has now won seven of his 11 starts, four at Group 1 level, for over $3.2 million in stakes.

This year’s Cox Plate has seen its most successful sire – the remarkable Zabeel – notch up another significant achievement. Siring four winners of the race – Octagonal (NZ), Might and Power (NZ), Savabeel and Maldivian (NZ) - Ocean Park is the first winner of the great race for Zabeel as a broodmare sire. Zabeel was the dam-sire of two Group winners at Moonee Valley on Saturday with Silent Achiever (NZ) winning the Group 2 Crystal Mile.

The victory is also a triumph for Ocean Park’s sire Thorn Park (Spinning World) who stands at Windsor Park Stud and is the sire of 17 stakes winners – five at Group 1 level. Thorn Park has celebrated two Group 1 winners in Australia this season with his daughter Norzita winning the Group 1 Flight Stakes and he now boasts a Cox Plate winner to his stud credentials.

One of Australasia’s most prestigious races, the Group 1 Cox Plate is the pinnacle of weight-for-age racing in this part of the world and in the last six years has been won five times by kiwis: So You Think (NZ) (2010 & 2009), Maldivian (2008) and El Segundo (2007).

ends

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