Detrimental stretches his neck out, under the urgings of jockey Jonathan Riddell, to score a half-length win in a 1000m maiden 3-year-old race on the Awapuni synthetic track last Sunday.
OPINION
Detrimental, arguably the most expensive 3-year-old trained in Hastings at the moment, went a small way to returning his $580,000 purchase price when winning an $18,000 race at last Sunday’s Awapuni synthetic track meeting.
The I Am Invincible colt, prepared by John Bary and owned by Auckland-based Narendra Balia and his family, started a $1.80 favourite for the 1000m maiden event but had to call on all his qualities in the final stages to get up and score a half length win over the Te Akau stable runner Knowledge Is Power.
Only five horses contested the race with third placed Sand Point 1-1/4 lengths back in third.
Detrimental was having his second start but his first for 10 months. He finished second on debut over 1000m at Tauherenikau back in February, where he raced greenly but still managed to finish only a long neck from the winner.
Bary decided to give the colt a good spell and he has obviously come back a much more furnished racehorse.
Jonathan Riddell was aboard Detrimental and he had the horse poised outside the leader Knowledge Is Power coming to the home turn.
However the colt made the bend awkwardly, allowing the latter to pinch what looked a winning break on straightening up.
Riddell then had to balance his mount up and set after the leader and they only managed to collar him in the final three strides.
Detrimental is Australian-bred, being by the all-conquering sire I Am Invincible out of the Lope De Vega mare Lope De Lope.
His dam had 18 race starts for three wins and five minor placings while his grandam is the Catbird mare Litter, whose five wins included a Listed Weona Stakes (1200m) at Randwick and a Listed Williams Stakes (1500m) at Eagle Farm.
Owner Narendra Balia, who has raced a number of successful horses from John Bary’s stable, bought Detrimental out of the Karaka Ready-To-Run Two-year-old sale in November last year.
First success for Puzzle Master
Puzzle Master, a promising 3-year-old part-owned by Napier man Bernard Hickey, scored a maiden win at his second start in a 1300m race on the Cambridge synthetic track on Thursday of last week.
The Australian-bred son of Rubick started a raging hot $1.40 favourite in a six-horse field and gave his supporters some anxious moments before finally deciding to run straight in the last 50 metres to get up and win by a head.
The big chestnut looked under pressure when he rounded the home turn in third place and then wanted to lay in badly in the straight, causing interference to both Moneypenny and Aspen Voltage.
His rider Opie Bosson admitted a charge of careless riding and was suspended for nine riding days, from October 13 up to and including October 28.
Puzzle Master is trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson and was an $80,000 purchase by David Ellis from the 2023 Karaka yearling sales. The horse is raced by the Te Akau Rubicon Racing Partnership, which Hickey is a 25% shareholder in.
It is likely that Puzzle Master will now have a three-week break before being aimed at races over the Christmas/New Year period.
Orchestral drawn well for Toorak
New Zealand’s darling of the turf Orchestral has drawn well at barrier six for this Saturday’s Group 1 A$1million Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield.
The 4-year-old daughter of Savabeel was flown to Melbourne on Wednesday for what will be her second Australian campaign.
Orchestral had a standout 3-year-old term, winning five consecutive races, including the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Group 2 Avondale Guineas and Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), before heading to Sydney where she won the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) and placed in the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m).
She made her first public appearance this season at the Taupo trials in August where she placed in her 1100m heat behind Captured By Love and Dream Of The Moon, before heading north to Ellerslie to have her first start as a 4-year-old in an Open 1400m where she finished eighth.
Roger James, who trains the mare in partnership with Robert Wellwood, was pleased with what he saw in her resuming run.
“I thought her performance was enormous up there. It’s fair to say that she was asked for a fair bit for her level of fitness,” he said.
“She came through it pretty well, but she has come forward in the last week to 10 days.”
Orchestral had an exhibition gallop at Tauranga last Saturday to keep her up to the mark for Melbourne trip, and James was pleased with her work.
“I am very happy,” he said. “I thought that was a sign that we are right on the button for where we want to be.”
She is weighted on 54kg for the Toorak Handicap with ex-pat New Zealand jockey Daniel Stackhouse booked to ride the mare.
Kiwi stayer’s Melbourne Cup plans still on
Proven stayer Mahrajaan remains firmly on target for a crack at the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) despite the weather ruling out an intended lead-up outing.
The Shaun Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained chestnut was to have stepped out in last Saturday’s Group 3 Bart Cummings (2520m), but the camp decided to wait a week in the hope of a better surface.
“He’s guaranteed a run in the cup now, he’s 23rd in order and as we know they run 24 so he’s in the race, but we didn’t want to run him if he’s not going to perform to his best,” Ritchie said.
“The rain arrived on the day at Flemington and the track opened up, he’s been woeful in the wet in the past and it was an unnecessary risk to run him.”
Ritchie is comfortable giving Mahrajaan just one more hit-out ahead of the cup.
“He’s going to run in the Herbert Power at Caulfield on Saturday and he’s probably not well weighted with 58kg. He’s got a bit more pudding than we would have liked,” he said.
Mahrajaan is equal topweight for the Group 2 A$300,000 Herbert Power Handicap (2400m) and has a wide draw (15) to overcome. He will be ridden by Australian jockey Damien Lane.
“If he can perform well, then having a first Melbourne Cup runner would be fantastic and a great experience for myself and the owners.
“He’s an athletic sort of horse, clean-winded and he’s certainly in great spirits. I think his first two runs back in this time have been far superior to his earlier runs over shorter distances.”
The horse resumed from a spell with a third over 1400m at Ruakaka on August 17 and followed that up with another third placing over 2200m on the same track on September 7.
“He needs all of two miles to show his best as he’s proved in the past, so technically the Herbert Power will be short of his best distance,” Ritchie said.
“We’ll keep that in mind, but he can’t afford to just follow them around if he’s to justify his place in the Cup, so we need to see him run somewhere near his best.”
Mahrajaan’s victories in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) and Group 3 Wellington Cup (3200m) emphasises both his stamina and the success of the stable’s first venture to Europe to source a quality distance performer.
The son of Kitten’s Joy was purchased for 75,000gns at the 2022 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.
Another Aussie jockey riding in NZ
Liam Riordan will add to the growing list of Australian jockeys crossing the Tasman to ride in New Zealand when he heads to Ashburton this Saturday.
The 27-year-old Victorian has formed an association with Te Akau Racing through their Cranbourne barn, and he has accepted the invitation of trainer Mark Walker to ride for the stable in New Zealand this weekend.
“I have ridden for Te Akau a few times in Melbourne and I am good friends with Ben Gleeson (Cranbourne assistant trainer),” Riordan said. “I pondered with the idea that if the opportunity arose I would go over there (New Zealand) and ride a meeting.”
Riordan became good friends with Gleeson while he was assistant trainer to Danny O’Brien, who Riordan has enjoyed riding for over the last few seasons.
“I just happened to run into Mark at the beach and I was talking with him and he asked me to ride five for him this week (at Ashburton).
“I have never ridden overseas and I am looking forward to it.”
Riordan is set to partner Dream Of The Moon in the Group 3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton and the filly heads into the race in good form, having finished runner-up when fresh up in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton last month.
While Saturday’s meeting is currently a one-off for Riordan, he is hopeful of returning for New Zealand Cup week next month.
“I am hopeful of coming over a bit more often for Te Akau, maybe during the carnival,” he said.
“I am able to ride light so that is probably a big asset as well. I will just see how Saturday goes, but hopefully it creates a few opportunities.”
Former jockey Michael Coleman will be acting as Riordan’s riding agent while in New Zealand.
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