Saturday’s $110,000 Group Three Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton continued an incredible ride for the connections of Chase (NZ) (Zed), who bought him for only $9,000 from Book 3 of Karaka 2018. Originally a $6,000 purchase by JD Corcoran when offered as a weanling from Valachi Downs in the 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale.
Chase has now earned $413,398 – more than 45 times his purchase price – with eight wins and 21 placings from a 58-start career. While Saturday’s Winter Cup was his first black-type win, he had previously placed in the Group One Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), Group One Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and Group Three Metric Mile (1600m).
The nine-year-old gelding is trained by Stephan Nickalls, who shares ownership with his partner Laura Knight as well as her father, former All Black Gary Knight.
“I’m in tears, this is amazing,” Nickalls said after Saturday’s triumph. “My little daughter (10-year-old Mya Nickalls) is here and this just doesn’t get any better. It is just phenomenal seeing her lead him in. It is so amazing.
“We’re a tight family unit and I’m lost for words.”
Chase was ridden by Tina Comignaghi on Saturday and settled in midfield behind a solid pace set by top-class winter galloper Bradman (NZ) (Pins).
The front-runner still had plenty of fuel in the tank coming into the home straight, and he kicked hard to put a gap between himself and the chasers with 300 metres to run.
But Bradman began to drift out across the track in the last 200 metres, leaving a wide open space on his inside. Comignaghi drove Chase through that gap, bounding up alongside Bradman in the last 100 metres and going on to win by a length from the strong-finishing Who Knows (NZ) (Redwood).
“This is super exciting,” Comignaghi said. “I have always wanted to win this race. It’s great for Stephen and his family. They do a super job and it’s nice to see them so happy.
“I knew the horse, having ridden him before, so I knew he would finish well. When the leader began to hang out, he just surged through.”
Chase became the third consecutive Karaka graduate to win the time-honoured Winter Cup, following on from Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) in 2024 and Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo) in 2023.
Notably, both Chase and Saturday’s third placegetter Bradman were bred by the late Kevin Hickman.
| Vendor | Grangewilliam Stud |
| Purchaser | L Knight (Manawatu) |
| Breeding | Zed – Dantessa |
| Sale | Lot 1110, Karaka 2018 Book 3, $9,000 |
| Breeder | K J Hickman & G W Hulston |
| Owner | G A & L Knight & S Nickalls |
