With three juvenile races, all worth at least $40,000, the Labour Day long weekend has had a major impact on the order of entry for the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 25.
The new table-topper is the blue-blooded colt Storm Front (NZ) (Snitzel), who earned $25,875 with an emphatic debut victory at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Storm Front went into the $45,000 Dunstan Horsefeeds 2YO (1100m) with plenty of credentials behind him, being by champion sire Snitzel out of the three-time stakes-winning mare Indecision (NZ) (Per Incanto). He was also an easy trial winner at Ellerslie in September.
The Tony Pike-trained runner went out as a warm favourite at Ellerslie on Saturday, and he lived up to expectations in style. After sitting outside the leader up to the point of the home turn, jockey Matt Cartwright pushed the button and Storm Front quickened smartly to take control. He opened up a winning margin of two and a quarter lengths over fellow first-starter Belle Du Monde (Zoustar).
“He’s a pretty progressive colt,” Cartwright said. “I’ve ridden a few two-year-olds this season, and he’s definitely one of the better ones.
“He did a bit wrong coming around the turn, and it just goes to show how green he still is and how much improvement he’s got. But he put them away well and had a lot more left.
“He’s a nice horse going forward. I think he’ll be pretty exciting come the autumn.”
Pike paid $400,000 to buy Storm Front from the Book 1 draft of breeders Trelawney Stud at Karaka 2024.
“He’s a lovely horse going forward,” Pike said. “We always thought he might be a bit new and green in his first start today, but most two-year-olds are. He just got on the wrong leg.
“But the best part of his race was the last 200 metres. He really drew away and did it comfortably in the end, which was good to see.
“We can work our way towards the Karaka Millions now. He’s a horse that I think is going to improve with a bit of time on his side, so it’s really exciting to have a nice colt like this in the stable.
“He’s a Snitzel colt, so it would be nice to get a bit of black type along the way as well if we can. But we’ll probably give him a week in the paddock for now and then make some plans after that.”
Storm Front’s $25,875 puts him just ahead of the former order of entry leader Landlock (Merchant Navy), who took his earnings up to $25,000 with a fourth placing in Sunday’s $40,000 Graham’s Painters 2YO (900m) at Trentham.
That race was won by the first-starter Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who is now fourth on the order of entry with $23,000.
Too Sweet produced a strong finish from the back of Sunday’s small field, getting up to beat Almakeitgood (NZ) (Ardrossan) by a head.
Too Sweet is trained by Roydon Bergerson for owner Chris Rutten, who has previously won the Karaka Millions 2YO with Vespa (NZ) (Elusive City) and has placed with Kingsman (NZ) (Darci Brahma), Yourdeel (NZ) (Dundeel) and Avonallo (NZ) (Belardo).
Rutten bought Too Sweet for $50,000 from Phoenix Park’s Book 2 draft.
“She’s a beautiful filly,” Bergerson said. “I was surprised that she raced quite greenly today, but she still quickened well in the straight and stuck her neck out and won nicely.
“The Karaka Millions is the big goal. That’s the reason Chris bought her, and there’s not many better judges when it comes to that race, outside of maybe David Ellis.
“She’s qualified now, so it takes the pressure off and we can just pick and choose our path from this point on. We’ll give her a look around Ellerslie at some stage between now and then.”
Just ahead of Too Sweet on the order of entry is the third-placed Roc ‘N’ Ready (NZ) (El Roca), who took her earnings to $24,250 with an upset win in Saturday’s $40,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series 2YO (800m) at Riccarton.
Fourth on debut over the same course and distance last month, Roc ‘N’ Ready took a big step forward in her second start and edged out Quisiera (NZ) (Sweynesse) in a tight finish.
Invercargill trainer Robert Dennis paid $35,000 to buy Roc ‘N’ Ready from Westbury Stud’s Book 2 draft.
“That was a really good win,” Dennis said. “It was a bit rough just after the start and she copped the worst of that, but she picked herself up and won impressively.
“She had only had a jumpout before her first start here. That experience down the chute has obviously done her a lot of good.
“She wants to run. She’s a real racehorse. She’s got some fantastic owners, who are all very keen to get involved with horses like this that I go to the yearling sales to buy.
“She’s got enough money for the Karaka Millions now, so let’s have a go.”
Vega For Luck (NZ) (Lucky Vega) sits in fifth place with $18,425, followed by To Bravery Born (NZ) (Snitzel) with $14,375. The weekend’s placegetters Almakeitgood and Belle Du Monde hold the next two spots with $11,000 and $8,325 respectively.
The next chance for Karaka Millions-eligible two-year-olds to put valuable money in the bank comes with a $40,000 race over 1100 metres at Te Rapa on November 9.
