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Bluebloods - Vendor Profile Karaka 2023

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No Doubting Darci At Trentham

Pocket rocket Darci La Bella added another present under the Christmas tree for her connections when she proved too strong in the closing stages when taking out the Gr.2 Bramco Granite and Marble Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Trentham.The Allan Sharrock-trained mare made it four wins in a row, three of them at stakes level, as she downed Group One winner Coventina Bay in a driving finish to the Group Two feature.Rider Jonathan Riddell had a few anxious moments as he tried to find clear ro...

Darci La Bella vying for four straight

Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock is hoping to end Darci La Bella’s preparation on a high when he treks south to Trentham on Saturday.The daughter of Darci Brahma has continued her rich vein of form in her five-year-old season, winning her last three starts, including the Gr.3 Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).Her win tally now sits at 10 from 16 starts, and Sharrock believes she can extend it this weekend in the Gr.2 Bramco Granite &am...

Back To Back Wins For Catherine Of Sienna

Catherine Of Siena (2f U S Navy Flag - Romantic Stroll, by Oratorio) followed up last month’s impressive victory with another smart success in Friday’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF Race at Dundalk.The Kevin Coleman-trained filly placed three times before running out a five length winner over six furlongs and dropped down to the minimum distance on Friday. Making all once again under Seamie Heffernan, the bay was ridden approaching the final furlong and kept on well to win by a length from Maggie...

Sinarahma Superior In Te Rapa Feature

Warm favourite Sinarahma provided a further example of her undoubted class when she cruised to victory in one of the feature events at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m).The Allan Sharrock-trained mare thrived on the Soft7 track conditions, which had been downgraded from earlier in the day due to several heavy showers, as rider Craig Grylls gave her an armchair trip throughout.Settled in behind a steady pace set up by Express Princess and Silverina, the eight-year-old daughte...

Broodmare paddock looming for Sinarahma

Sinarahma's final campaign couldn't be going much better, according to New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock.But as the eight-year-old Darci Brahma mare prepares for her second-up run as a shortening $1.90 favourite for Saturday's Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa, Sharrock can't help second-guessing himself.Sinarahma boomed home for second to subsequent Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) winner Prise De Fer when she resumed in the Gr.3 Eagle Technology Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa a fortnight a...

Quality mare Sinarahma full of surprises

Sinarahma exceeded expectations at Te Rapa with a performance that left little doubt she can take full advantage of her remaining opportunities.The multiple stakes winning daughter of Darci Brahma finished a luckless second in Saturday’s Gr.3 Eagle Technology Stakes (1600m) in her first appearance since she triumphed in the Gr.3 Rotorua Cup (2200m) in May.In between times, the Allan Sharrock-trained eight-year-old has been served by Westbury Stud resident Tarzino.“I thought she would run ver...

Darci La Bella displays her class at Pukekohe

What a difference 30 minutes made for jockey Jonathan Riddell on Saturday. Fresh from being dumped at the start aboard the well-favoured Babylon Berlin in the previous race, the Cambridge hoop came out and produced a picture-perfect ride aboard class mare Darci La Bella to take out the Gr.2 Dunstan Feeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m). The Allan Sharrock-trained daughter of Darci Brahma had seen conditions fall in her favour as 48 hours of persistent rain saw the track come up ...

U S Navy Flag filly draws clear to maiden success

The progressive Catherine Of Siena (2f U S Navy Flag - Romantic Stroll, by Oratorio) ran out an impressive winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Race at Dundalk on Friday evening. Placed on her three previous starts, the Kevin Coleman-trained filly was sent off second favourite for the six furlong contest and was ridden to make all by Seamie Heffernan. Pushed along from two furlongs out, she was ridden clear a furlong later and ran on to win by five lengths. “Kevin told me...

Catalyst - the excitement machine

As Catalyst retires, we celebrate his many career highlights in the video below, kindly put together by Love Racing. ...

Darci La Bella adds stakes victory

Progressive mare Darci La Bella added a valuable black-type victory to an already outstanding race record when she strode clear to win the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera. The winner of eight of her 14 starts before contesting Saturday’s Group Three feature, the daughter of Darci Brahma went into the race as a warm favourite after finishing fourth to outstanding mare Imperatriz at Group Two level two starts back before winning comfortably in open handicap ...

Distance the only query with Darci La Bella

Eight-win mare Darci La Bella will be out to claim some valuable black-type on Saturday when she heads to Hawera to contest the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m). The Darci Brahma five-year-old finished fourth in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa in August before winning at the Hamilton track last week and trainer Allan Sharrock believes he has her on song for Saturday. Darci La Bella has only been tested over 1400m on one occasion, running fifth in the Listed...

Tide back in at Hastings

John Bary is confident Spring Tide (Darci Brahma) won’t find the distance beyond him when he contests the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Hastings on Saturday.Runner-up in the last two editions of the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Spring Tide has only raced once past that distance, finishing eighth in last year’s renewal of Saturday’s event while in the stable of Foxton trainer Chrissy Bambry.However, that race came at the end of a seven-race winter campaign, and it was on a track rat...

U S Navy Flag colt Moqui Marble makes winning debut

Moqui Marble (2c U S Navy Flag - Gerika, by Galileo) continued a fine start at stud by U S Navy Flag when making a winning debut at Milan on Sunday.Trained by E C Racing Stable for owner/breeder Scuderia La Tesa, the bay was sent off favourite for the seven and a half furlong maiden and was ridden to make all by Claudio Colombi. Staying on gamely, he scored by three parts of a length, with all of seven lengths separating the runner-up from the rest of the field.Moqui Mar...

Son of U S Navy Flag doubles tally

Monday saw Nibras Rainbow (2g U S Navy Flag - Show Rainbow, by Haafhd) record his second career success when justifying favouritism at Newcastle.Trained by Ismail Mohammed for Saeed Al Tayer, the son of U S Navy Flag made a successful step up to seven furlongs last month and tackled the same trip on Monday. Racing towards the back of the field under Cameron Noble, the bay was ridden to make headway over two furlongs from home and ran on to lead a furlong later. Keep...

Four Queens heads home Rae quinella at Riccarton

Local trainer Terri Rae got her day off to the best possible start at Riccarton when new stable runner Four Queens narrowly headed stablemate Sacred Giant over 1400m in the second race of the day. Formerly prepared by Tony Pike at Cambridge, Four Queens had remained with Rae in the south after contesting both the Listed Easter Cup (1600m) and Gr.3 South Island Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton last autumn. The five-year-old daughter of Tavistock went into Saturday’s rating 75 contest off...

Bigger things ahead of U S Navy Flag's latest winner

U S S Constitution (2c U S Navy Flag - Stor Mo Chroi, by Montjeu) earned himself a step up in class when making all to win Saturday’s Novice Stakes at Ascot. The Ed Walker-trained colt was well-supported for the seven furlong contest, having finished a close third on debut last month. Saffie Osborne asked the bay to quicken after the two furlong marker and increased the pressure entering the final furlong, with her mount keeping on well to score by a neck. The first two drew fou...

U S Navy Flag filly impresses at Ruakaka

First season sire U S Navy Flag made an immediate impact at the Ruakaka trials on Tuesday. The Oaks Stud stallion recorded his first New Zealand trial win courtesy of an unnamed filly out of Pins mare Stitch, who was victorious in her 750m heat for local trainer Michelle Bradley. The filly was purchased by Bradley as a yearling for $43,000 out of Valachi Downs’ dispersal sale on plus.gavelhouse.com and she has been rapt with her buy. “I was pretty impressed with her trial. She is a lovely fi...

Catalyst Melbourne Bound

The connections of Catalyst are tired of playing the waiting game and have made the decision to head to Melbourne with the Group One winner.The son of Darci Brahma was set to have his first race in nearly two years in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa last Saturday, but the heavy track conditions forced trainer Tony Pike to withdraw his horse.The initial intention was to trial the gelding at Ruakaka on Tuesday and head to Hastings on Saturday-week for the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), b...

Raceday resumption delayed for Catalyst

Punters will have to wait at least a couple more weeks before they see Group One winner Catalyst resume his racing career. The son of Darci Brahma was set to have his first start in nearly two years in the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday, but the wet weather that has battered the Waikato in the last few days has put a halt to those plans. “We left him in hoping the track was going to improve a touch but with the amount of rain we have had in the Waikato in the...

Speedy filly the latest stakes winner by U S Navy Flag

Love Reigns (2f U S Navy Flag - Humble And Proud, by Pivotal) provided first season sire U S Navy Flag with further Stakes success when justifying favouritism in the Listed Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga.The Wesley Ward-trained bay emerged as an exciting prospect in April, when bolting up on debut at Keeneland, where she scored by nine lengths and three quarters. The performance earned her a trip to Royal Ascot, where she finished fourth in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stak...

Ward scores fifth Bolton Landing with Love Reigns

Stonestreet Stables' Love Reigns  provided trainer Wesley Ward with a record-extending fifth victory in the $150,000 Bolton Landing Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for juvenile fillies, Aug. 21 at Saratoga Race Course. The Irish-bred daughter of U S Navy Flag  made a winning return from her fourth-place finish in the June 15 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Ascot Racecourse, which followed a 9 3/4-length debut score in April at Keeneland.Ward said he is ...

U S Navy Flag filly digs deep in Sandown Maiden

Chelsea Green (2f U S Navy Flag - Agapantha, by Danehill Dancer) displayed an admirable attitude when getting off the mark in Saturday’s seven furlong maiden at Sandown.Trained by Hugo Palmer for Chelsea Thoroughbreds, the daughter of U S Navy Flag showed promise on last month’s debut at Goodwood and appeared to enjoy a more prominent ride on her second start. Pushed along approaching the two furlong marker, she led a furlong later under Andrea Atzeni and was ridden ...

U S Navy Flag sires first Stakes winner

2YO colt Ocean Vision provides U S Navy Flag with his first stakes winner....