New Zealand Bloodstock: Blood Brotha Takes the NZ Cup

Blood Brotha Takes the NZ Cup

It has proven a case of second time lucky for the Raymond Connors trained Blood Brotha (NZ) who was too good for the field in the $225,000 Group 3 Christchurch Casino 148th New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

Blood Brotha (Danzighill x Laura Dee) ran sixth in the race last year and came into the New Zealand Cup off a good fourth in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy at Riccarton at his last start.

Ridden by James McDonald in Saturday's Group 3, the six-year-old was ridden patiently in the early stages before improving his position to trail the leaders at the 600 metre mark. Blood Brotha was in a line of four horses at the 300 metre marker but took the advantage 100 metres from home to win by a quarter-of-a-length.

Now a winner of six of his 29 career starts, the Group 3 win was Blood Brotha's first at stakes level after running second in the New Zealand St Leger (2500m) in March last year.

Bred by Brian, Hector, Mrs L E & Mrs P A Anderton, Blood Brotha is raced by Raymond and Mark Connors and was offered by White Robe Lodge at New Zealand Bloodstock's South Island Sale of Two-Year-Olds. He has now won over $234,000 in stakes.

Fellow Karaka graduate The Jungle Boy (NZ) (Jungle Pocket) ran a solid race to take second after leading earlier in the straight to give NZB the race quinella. Trained by Shaun Clotworthy, it was the six-year-old's first start over 3200 metres.

Napatap First Stakes Winner for Patapan

The Paul Harris trained Napatap (NZ) ran away with the Listed Berkley Stud Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton on Saturday to become the first winner for his first season sire Patapan.

Ridden by Jason Waddell, Napatap (Patapan x Priscilla) drew wide in the Listed contest and sat six lengths off the lead in transit. Coming into the Riccarton straight, Waddell took the two-year-old to the outside of the track, taking the lead at the 400 metre mark and sustaining his margin to the post to win by one-and-three-quarter-lengths.

Napatap came into the race as a maiden in three starts, running fifth on debut and putting together back-to-back second placings, all at the Riccarton course.

A sire son of Stravinsky, Patapan stands at Nick and Anne-Marie King's Brighthill Farm and was a Listed winner himself at two in Italy. He has only had three runners to date.

Patapan has one entry in the Karaka Ready to Run Sale, the gelding from Mangatiti Bloodstock at Lot 106 out of the Volksraad mare Dubbe, a half-sister to the stakes winner Pompeii Chief (Pompeii Court).

Bred by Nick and Anne-Marie King, Napatap was purchased by New Zealand Bloodstock as agent from Brighthill Farm at the 2011 Karaka Festival Sale for $6,000. The colt has now won just shy of $30,000 in stakes.

Napatap is the second stakes winning two-year-old to come from the 2011 Karaka Festival Sale this season with the Stephen McKee trained Silver City (Nothing to Lose) winning the Listed Wellesley Stakes.

ENDS

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