Wednesday’s $120,000 Group Three Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton was dominated by graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock Sales, who filled all of the first three placings.
The prestigious fillies and mares’ feature was won by Fashion Shoot (NZ) (Savabeel), who was bought by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis for $320,000 from the draft of Waikato Stud in Book 1 of Karaka 2019. From a 27-start career, Fashion Shoot has now had six wins, 12 placings and $259,480 in stakes, with an enormously valuable Group Three victory adding extra sparkle to her high-class pedigree page.
Runner-up Live Drama (NZ) (Ghibellines) has been one of New Zealand Bloodstock’s best bargain buys of the last decade, snapped up for just $8,500 from the 2018 South Island Sale. She has lined up in 34 races, winning nine times and placing in another 11 to bank more than $328,000 for a big group of owners. She has been a two-time stakes winner and an eight-time placegetter in black-type company.
Wednesday’s third placegetter was Miss Layla (NZ) (Burgundy), who was a $20,000 purchase from Book 2 of Karaka 2021. From just seven starts, she has had two wins, two placings and over $60,000 in stakes. She was a Listed winner as a three-year-old last season.
Fashion Shoot was a third placegetter in the Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes 12 months ago, but a spectacular come-from-behind win in her season debut at Hastings in September hinted that she might have come back even better as a six-year-old.
Wednesday’s performance confirmed that suspicion, dropping back from gate 13 before producing a blistering turn of foot in the straight. She roared past Live Drama in the shadows of the finish line and snatched a superb victory by a neck.
“She travelled in a good rhythm,” jockey Warren Kennedy said. “She was breathing lovely and midway through the race she started to kick up at me really nicely. She was building throughout the race, and when I showed her clear air at the 250, she really kicked smartly.”
Fashion Shoot is trained by the premiership-leading Te Akau combination of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson.
“That was some ride,” Bergerson said. “I was watching the race and thinking, ‘She can’t win from there,’ but fair play to him – he was patient.
“We thought we had to ride her cold today and just come at them with one last run, and she was electric. It was a massive effort.
“She was probably unlucky not to have picked up a black-type race before today. She’s a lovely mare and lovely to deal with, so it’s fantastic to finally get a result for the team.
“It’s great to win a race sponsored by Windsor Park. They are great supporters of the industry and of us as a stable as well, so a huge result.”
