New Zealand’s weight-for-age ranks have been thinned with several retirements, but one top performer that will be returning this season is Cambridge Stud’s Group One-winning mare Jaarffi.
A perennial bridesmaid at the highest level, the now seven-year-old daughter of Iffraaj broke through for an elusive elite-level victory in the Gr.1 Otaki Maori WFA Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie in February, and owner-breeders Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay are eager for more.
The couple had been weighing up sending their million-dollar earner to stud after attaining her Group One win, however, their private trainer Lance Noble said they ultimately decided to give her one more year on the track before retiring her to their iconic thoroughbred nursery.
“Jaarffi has come back into work this season, which I am thrilled about,” Noble said. “There was talk about sending her to stud, but she is going to have another season.
“She has been such a slow-maturing horse, we haven’t over-raced her. She never raced at two and she only had a couple of starts at three. For a seven-year-old mare she is comparatively lightly raced.
“It is very hard to get genuine weight-for-age Group One horses. They (Group One weight-for-age races) are not stacked with runners most of the time and once you are at that level you seem to be able to hold that level.
“There have been a few retirements and hopefully she can get back to that top level.
“Brendan and Jo love racing and they love the big days, and she is a horse that can take us there.”
Jaarffi will bypass the early spring features and follow a similar blueprint to last season.
“Because it is such a long season, we tend to miss those early triple crown races and we will target the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ (Gr.2, 1400m) in November and kick on from there into those miles and Zabeel Classic (Gr.1, 2000m),” Noble said. “She is a weight-for-age horse, so she will follow a similar plan to last season.”
While glad to have Jaarffi return to work, Noble is also upbeat about the prospects of his young team, particularly three-year-olds Liguria and State Of Valour, the latter pleasing in his trial at Ruakaka on Saturday.
While still a maiden, the son of Sword Of State had a pleasing two-year-old season for former trainer Chad Ormsby, placing in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in March, and Noble is happy with the way he is building into his three-old preparation.
State Of Valour was given a quiet hit-out over 850m at the Waipa trials in the middle of last month before heading north to Ruakaka last Saturday where he trialled over 1050m, with his heat including the likes of Group One winners Crocetti and First Five, Group One performer Hezashocka, and Group Three winner Wolfgang.
The Cambridge Stud gelding led the trial for much of the journey, and was kept honest by Wolfgang on his flank, with Crocetti on their outside three-wide. Down the home straight, the trio continued to travel comfortably, and in the final 200m Crocetti began to open up and scored by 1-3/4 lengths over State Of Valour.
“He had a quiet trial a couple of weeks ago at Te Awamutu and then had the opportunity to go to Ruakaka, which was nice to go on a good track, and he went well,” Noble said. “There were a few in that heat not really trying but I was very happy with what he showed.
“All being well, he will go back to Ruakaka on the 15th (August) for the Cambridge Stud Northland Breeder’s Stakes (Gr.3, 1200m) and that will map out where we go from there.”
Stablemate Liguria had a similarly impressive juvenile season, winning the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) and runner-up in the Sistema Stakes, and Noble has been pleased with the way she has returned.
“Liguria has been back in work for just over a month and she is coming up nicely,” he said.
Noble said he also has some exciting two-year-olds to work with this season.
“We have got a really nice bunch of two-year-olds that are just going through the education phase,” he said. “We have some really well-bred stock that the stud topped up at the sales this year, we bought some nice horses.
“I think we have got a bit of depth in the two-year-old category, and overall, I am really looking forward to the new season.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
