Chris Rutten has a knack for selecting Karaka Millions 2YO contenders, and he looks to have struck again, this time with the Roydon Bergerson-trained Sweetest Thing.
The daughter of Hello Youmzain impressed when runner-up to Lassified in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m) at Trentham on Saturday, with her runner-up cheque of $18,500 putting her on the cusp of qualifying for the $1 million TAB Karaka Millions (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 24.
It’s a race Rutten has a strong association with, having won it with Vespa in 2014, and he has collected minor placings with Touche (2013), Kingsman (2016), Yourdeel (2019), Avonallo (2021) and Wolverine (2022), while he also won the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) with Scott Base in 2018.
Bergerson trained Wolverine, and the pair also teamed up last year to contest the race with Too Sweet, who was third favourite for the rich feature after her victory in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at her previous start, but she was given no favours from her outside barrier in the 14-horse field and finished 11th.
The pair could be seeking redemption with Sweetest Thing later this month, however, Bergerson is questioning the timing of the race and said a decision will be made on her immediate future later this week.
“I am really happy with her,” Bergerson said. “Wiremu (Pinn, jockey) said she just got a bit lost coming across the crossing, but she hit the line strong and has pulled up well.
“She has always shown a lot of ability. She is a beautiful filly and will make a lovely three-year-old. I don’t know what the future plans hold but we will see how she does this week.
“It is up to the horse (whether they target the Karaka Millions), I don’t want to push her too hard at the moment, it is pretty hard going into that race second-up. Chris is really keen on the race, he has always tried to win it.
“We will likely just give her one or two more (starts) and then put her out and bring her back as a three-year-old. What races we go for I’ll just have to talk with Chris and Ian (Farrelly, part-owner) about it and make up our mind at the end of the week.”
Sweetest Thing was purchased by Rutten and Bergerson out of Wentwood Grange’s 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $80,000, and the pair race her in partnership with Farrelly.
Hailing from a European pedigree, Sweetest Thing is out of two-time European winner Ocean Drive, a half-sister to dual Group Two winner Indian Days, Group One performer Reply and Group Three performer Binou.
Bergerson was impressed when inspecting Sweetest Thing at Karaka on the behest of Rutten, but glancing at her pedigree he questioned her precocious qualities.
“She was a really scopey filly, a really nice horse,” he said. “She is a well-balanced filly with a bit of strength behind her.
“It was quite surprising when Chris picked her out, I said ‘the mare won over 2600m Chris and you are trying to buy her for the Karaka Million?’,” Bergerson said. “He is a great judge.”
Meanwhile, Bergerson said Too Sweet is currently having a freshen-up before returning to the stable to prepare for autumn targets.
“She had a bit of a viral infection after her last start, so we put her in the paddock for three weeks,” he said. “She will come back into the stables next Monday and we will just see how she comes back up.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
