Progressive four-year-old Cross Tasman recorded his fourth victory at start number seven when landing the TAB Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill for the in-form stable of John O'Shea and Tom Charlton.
The son of Super Seth was perfectly positioned one-out and one-back under Dylan Gibbons and put his rivals to the sword when presented at the top of the straight, going on to score by three and a quarter lengths.
The winning rider reported the gelding didn’t relish the Heavy 8 conditions but was a class above his opposition.
“He never grabbed the bit at all when I would have liked,” Gibbons said.
“He was funny, he got into his spot and dipped and dived a bit. When I was having to encourage him through that I thought it might take away from his finish, but he might be pretty good.
“I got to the 300m and I thought it was going to be hard work but I had a cheeky look a long way out because I just felt him go into over-drive.
“This guy, with his attitude and the way he races, I’m going to say it was an unpreferred surface and the way he blew them away late, I love the way he did it today.”
Bred by Waikato Stud, Cross Tasman is by Super Seth out of the versatile triple Group One winner Daffodil, whose elite level victories included an Australian Oaks and New Zealand 2000 Guineas.
Cross Tasman appears to have inherited a fair degree of versatility as he scored for a loyal band of stable owners while sporting the colours of long-time supporter Ron Finemore’s Finemore Thoroughbreds
“Off that win, you wouldn’t rule out 2000m and even beyond,” Gibbons said.
“He has just got that perfect temperament, he just switches off and once I got stuck into him, where I thought I was really going to have to get into him, he just clicked into another gear and away he went.”
O’Shea went to $260,000 to secure Cross Tasman in partnership with Suman Hedge Bloodstock from the draft of Waikato Stud at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale.
With the Karaka Sales commencing on Sunday 25th January, Super Seth is well represented with 46 yearlings by the boom young Waikato Stud sire. – NZ Racing Desk
