This week’s Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) winner Real Class has been sold across the Tasman to Australian Bloodstock, but the promising filly may remain with her Byerley Park trainer Jenna Mahoney for a $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) campaign.
Real Class has made a big impression in a career that spans only four starts dating back to early November. She finished eighth on debut at Pukekohe before scoring a stylish come-from-behind win in a 1600m maiden at Te Aroha on December 8.
The Vadamos filly went on to be a breakout star of the Christmas Carnival at Ellerslie, flashing home from last to finish third in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) before backing up for a dominant Sir Patrick Hogan victory on New Year’s Day.
Those performances caught the attention of Australian Bloodstock, and the syndication powerhouse has now secured the three-year-old in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Melissa Robinson.
“This filly has actually been on my radar since her maiden win,” Australian Bloodstock director Luke Murrell said. “We might have been able to pay a bit less to buy her if we’d managed to do a deal after that race.
“But she went on to run well on Boxing Day, possibly against the pattern of the day, and then she won impressively when she stepped up to 2000m on New Year’s Day. They usually get run down when they have to take off that far from home, but she did a very good job to keep finding and win the race quite comfortably in the end.
“She appealed to us as one of the better fillies over in New Zealand this year, and she has a bit of size and quality in her physique as well, which always helps with a staying type of three-year-old.
“Melissa Robinson helps us with all the horses we purchase from New Zealand. We’ve used her for a few years now and had a bit of success together, and hopefully this filly will be more of the same. We’re only halfway there, but she’s got that black type now and looks like she’s got something to offer.”
The New Zealand Oaks will be run at Trentham on March 22, with its stake doubling this season from $500,000 to $1 million. That significant increase could be a deciding factor in how long Real Class remains on New Zealand soil.
“She’ll come across to Chris Waller’s stable in time, but we’ll just need to work out a plan around what our next step is going to be,” Murrell said. “We could bring her across to Australia early, or she could stay in New Zealand for a campaign centred around an Oaks.
“At this stage, we might be leaning towards staying. The trainer’s done a great job with this filly so far. She paraded beautifully on New Year’s Day and performed accordingly.
“With the higher stake that the New Zealand Oaks has now, it’s probably a bit more enticing for us to stay than it would have been previously.”
The TAB currently rates Real Class a $10 chance for the New Zealand Oaks. She shares second favouritism with the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) winner Leica Lucy, while the Andrew Forsman-trained Hinekaha holds $8 favouritism. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
