Explosive filly Hankee Alpha made a big statement at Te Aroha on Wednesday, with a phenomenal performance putting her firmly in the conversation for the major three-year-old races this season.
Hankee Alpha caught plenty of attention on debut in late October, putting over six lengths on a field which included subsequent winners Adelante and Ocean Miss.
Her trainers, Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, were eager to test the filly’s ability on a Good surface, and punters had every faith she could repeat her first-up effort backing her into $1.60 ahead of Egyptian Queen, who placed behind Crocetti in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) in January.
In the hands of Masa Hashizume, Hankee Alpha was immediately back near the tail of the field from the jump, settling into a comfortable rhythm while Goldburg set a solid tempo up-front. With the entire field ahead of her on the turn, Hankee Alpha had a task on her hands, but when the gaps came, she powered through them like an experienced campaigner and caught Egyptian Queen just short of the line, taking the victory by a neck.
O’Sullivan was thrilled with the daughter of Proisir, who swiftly shortened to $14 on the TAB Futures markets for the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and the $4.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).
“We’d planned to go back a little bit, possibly not that far but that was just how the race turned out,” he said.
“I thought she was going to need a lot of luck, it was a really good ride and he (Hashizume) rode with a lot of patience. A lot of times, the gaps don’t open up, so we were fortunate that things went our way.
“The pleasing part from the stable’s point of view was it was good to see her doing it on Good ground, as opposed to last time out on a heavy track, albeit a summer heavy.”
While Hankee Alpha may have won each of her only two starts to date, O’Sullivan credits much of that to six trial appearances over her juvenile and early three-year-old preparations, with patience a key factor in her development.
“At the trials, we never really asked her to extend, it was just all about educating her,” he said. “By the time she went to a race meeting, she wasn’t scared or timid to go through the field and things like that.
“You have to have good track riders, they’re very important and they’ve done a very good job with her. It was a while before we got her to the races, but it was all a matter of slowing her down, getting her to breath and relax.
“It was just a long, slow, steady build-up to give her confidence and she’s repaid us. In saying that, they’ve got to have ability to do that as well.”
There are plenty of strong three-year-old races looming and O’Sullivan indicated Hankee Alpha would likely be targeted towards the Gr.2 Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m), run at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
“We’re still yet to discuss with the owners, but our immediate plan at this stage would be to run her on Boxing Day in the three-year-old 1400m race there,” he said.
“Without confirming, that looks pretty likely.”
Hankee Alpha is the fourth foal out of Guillotine mare Queen Of Navarre, a winner of four races for the filly’s breeders Tony and Nikki Brown. When offered by Highline Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Karaka Yearling Sales, Hankee Alpha was purchased for $35,000 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman, and she is raced by Bryan Black, Dee Black and Jenny Courtney.
Later on the Te Aroha card, Wexford completed a winning double with Sax ‘n’ Silks, who earned a deserved maiden success in the Stables Books (1400m).
The four-year-old by Saxon Warrior showed plenty of promise early in her career, finishing fourth in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m) on New Year’s Day, and after finishing second to sharp stablemate Checkmate last-start, it was her turn in the spotlight.
Also ridden by Masa Hashizume, who picked up a winning quartet on the day, Sax ‘n’ Silks lead from the outset and was never headed, powering away from her rivals to score by 1-3/4 lengths to Chinook.
“We were really pleased to see her rewarded with a win, and it’s certainly not her last,” O’Sullivan said.
“It was a good strong performance, they weren’t really winning from the front all day and she’s done that, so she’s only going to continue to improve. She’ll probably head to a race on Boxing Day as well.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
