The outstanding form of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott’s three-year-olds continued at Ellerslie on Saturday with a one-two finish by Sethito and Prosegur in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m).
It was the second age-group feature within the space of a week for the Wexford Stables team, who saddled Checkmate for a commanding victory in last Saturday’s Listed Armacup 3YO Stakes (1500m) at the same venue. Overall, O’Sullivan and Scott have had a total of 17 wins from 50 runners among their 2024-25 class of three-year-olds.
The Matamata stable took formidable firepower into the $120,000 Bonecrusher, sending out five of the 12 runners with last-start winners Crackercol, Ribkraka, Prosegur, Sethito and Sicillian.
Sethito jumped as a $2.70 favourite after leaving maiden ranks with a six-length romp at Rotorua last start, and the promising Waikato Stud homebred continued her upward trajectory with a stylish black-type success on Saturday.
Ridden by in-form jockey Sam Spratt, Sethito broke well from gate 10 and slid forward to sit in second behind the front-running Midnight Edition. Sethito was doing everything with ease coming up to the home turn, and then she pounced and quickly took command at the top of the straight.
The only challenge came from her stablemate Prosegur, who emerged from the pack with a strong finish through the final 200m, but Sethito kept kicking and crossed the finish line with a length and a quarter up her sleeve.
“That was a very good effort from a wide draw,” Spratt said. “She travelled up nicely and won well.”
Sethito is a blue-blooded daughter of exciting young Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth and the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and CF Orr Stakes (1400m) winner Suavito. From four starts, Sethito has recorded two wins, a third and a fifth and has banked $81,395 in stakes.
“That’s a very satisfying result,” O’Sullivan said. “All of our staff have done a wonderful job with all the three-year-olds this season.
“It’s hard trying to watch all of the five in one race, but certainly those two most prominent ones have put their hands up today.
“Sethito was Andrew’s first pick of the lot in this race, while I might have been favouring the runner-up. But Sethito grew another leg when we put the blinkers on for the first time last start. She had to step up again today, and she’s certainly done that.
“We’ll talk to Garry Chittick and the Waikato Stud team about what we do next, but you’d think the Eight Carat (Gr.2, 1600m) here on Boxing Day might be the natural progression.”
Waikato Stud will offer a half-brother to Sethito as part of their Book 1 draft at Karaka 2025 in late January. The colt by champion stallion Savabeel will go through the ring as Lot 337.
Sethito became the fourth stakes winner for Super Seth, joining Linebacker, Poetic Champion and Super Photon. He is also the sire of this season’s Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) runner-up Feroce. Super Seth was New Zealand’s champion first-season sire last season. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
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