Lovatsville based Firece Impact (Jpn) produced a stylish debut winner in New Zealand on Saturday and Yokozuna got his win at the expensive of race favourite Moretothinkabout, the blueblood So You Think colt from More Joyous.
Talented two-year-old Yokozuna turned Saturday’s Promote Waipu 2YO (1200m) into a winning Ruakaka homecoming for former local trainer Donna Logan.
Logan was based at the Northland track from 1985 until 2018, when she relocated to Singapore. She returned to New Zealand following last year’s closure of racing in Singapore and now bases herself at Byerley Park in South Auckland, but still jumps at every opportunity to return to her old stomping ground on the shores of Bream Bay.
“It’s so good to be back up here at Ruakaka, and a win like that makes it even better,” Logan said after Saturday’s win, which was her 103rd career success at Ruakaka.
“That was a really nice win by Yokozuna today, I think he’s got the makings of a good horse.”
Saturday’s $35,000 race marked the first raceday appearance for Yokozuna, who had finished second in a trial over 1100m at Ellerslie on June 9.
He was ridden by Vinnie Colgan and jumped only fairly from gate two, but quickly recovered and took up a handy position in fourth by the end of the back straight.
Many of his rivals showed signs of greenness, most notably the front-running Rotten Tommy, who ran off at the home turn. But Yokozuna balanced up at the top of the home straight and lengthened stride stylishly.
He bounded to the front at the 200m mark and strode clear to win by a length and a half from the strong-finishing favourite Moretothinkabout.
Yokozuna’s performance made a favourable impression on Colgan.
“He’s a lovely-looking horse,” he said. “Everything went his way and he gave me a very good feel in the straight.
“He didn’t get away that cleanly, but he got into gear well after two or three strides and felt very nice from there. He’s still a bit raw and green, but he’s a nice horse who should develop into a good three-year-old.”
Logan suggested that Yokozuna could be in line for a return to Ruakaka in the coming weeks. The August 2 meeting features an 1100m three-year-old race worth $35,000, while the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) will be run for a $100,000 stake two weeks later.
“The phone’s ringing already with people interested in buying him, which isn’t surprising after a performance like that,” Logan said. “We’ll wait and see what we do with him from here, but he’s shown that he likes the track here, so we might be bringing him back to Ruakaka.”
Yokozuna is by Fierce Impact out of the winning Flying Spur mare Misstiflying. Offered by Hallmark Stud in Book 2 of Karaka 2024, he was bought by Logan Racing for $40,000. He was a successful pinhook having been sourced from the Bombora Downs draft at Inglis Great Southern for $16,000.
Bred by Cape Schank Stud, he is the fifth winner from five foals to race from Misstiflying, a winning Flying Spur daughter of stakes-winner Miss Pageantry.
Yokozuna races in the colours of part-owners Social Racing, whose manger Brent Cooper has a long-running association with Logan.
“Donna and I go back 30 years,” Cooper said. “She’s a special person and has been a great friend. It’s so good to get back involved with her stable again now that she’s back in New Zealand, and I’m super excited that we’ve got a talented horse like this. This horse has obviously come on in leaps and bounds from his trial.”
The Logan connections continued in the second and third races on Saturday’s card. Logan’s daughter Samantha trained the Mountfield Quarry (1600m) winner Ascension, while former staff member Michelle Bradley won the Northland Business Systems (1200m) with Iridescent. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
