News - ALMANZOR (FR)
A four-win horse in a special conditions maiden is a rare sight, and rapidly improving mare Lux Libertas proved to be as dominant on the Te Rapa track in Saturday’s Three Wise Birds (1400m) as she was on paper.
It’s been a great week for Cambridge Stud having bred and sold Group I ATC Epsom Handicap winner Ceolwulf and our stallions Almanzor (Fr) and Hello Youmzain (Fr) have also been making their own news.
New Zealand-breds have been a rich source of success for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young in Australian three-year-old staying features, and that trend continued in Saturday’s Listed ABC Bullion Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington.
Andrew Forsman always intended to aim Positivity at Saturday’s Gr.3 Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington, but the Cambridge trainer has been caught off guard by what his rising star stayer has already achieved this spring.
Just 10 months after her career started, emerging mare Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor) became a three-time Group winner with a tenacious victory in Saturday’s A$200,000 Group Three Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) at Caulfield.
Lux Libertas continued to make every post a winner at Te Rapa on Sunday, collecting a fourth-consecutive victory in the Waikato Construction 1400 with plenty left in store.
Lux Libertas overcame plenty of adversity early in her life, but the four-year-old left unfortunate beginnings behind her when completing a winning hattrick at Matamata on Wednesday.
Good news for Kiwi breeders with the announcement Almanzor (Fr) will now be permanently based in New Zealand at Cambridge Stud, who have acquired the full breeding rights to the champion son of Wootton Bassett, who has sired 19 stakes-winners, 12 of them in Australasia headed by Group I winners Manzoice and Circle of Fire.
Monovale Farm have found plenty of excitement watching homebred gelding Rise At Dawn succeed across the Tasman, particularly with the next of his dam’s progeny about to hit the track in the farm’s colours.
In-form galloper Rise At Dawn got off the canvas to score an unlikely victory in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield on Saturday as he made it three wins in succession.
In-form galloper Rise At Dawn is likely to be set for a black-type assignment after notching a comfortable victory at Caulfield on Saturday in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (1600m).
Consistent galloper Rise At Dawn was in the winner’s circle at Flemington on Saturday when leading throughout to land the VRC Season Premiere Race Day Plate (1620m).
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) has had a solid season with Group winners in Australia and New Zealand headed by his imported Group I ATC Sydney Cup winner Circle of Fire (GB) and Joe Pride thinks he has a nice up and coming stayer by the high class son of Wootton Bassett.
Cambridge Stud shuttle sires Almanzor (Fr) and Hello Youmzain (Fr) were both in top form at Deauville in France on Sunday with a new stakes-winner for the former and a new winner for the latter.
Promising three-year-old Eliud is expected to relish the step up to a middle distance when he makes his Australian debut on Saturday.
After highly creditable performances in seven Group races during the New Zealand season, Mary Shan has an opportunity to prove herself across the Tasman in Saturday’s Gr.3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
Four-year-old gelding Virtuous Circle registered his first win in more than 650 days when taking out the RDA Daylesford Lesley Hewitt Trophy (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday for trainer Liam Howley.
Moonlight Magic beat all but one of the boys in the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm last weekend, and trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping she can go one better against her own sex when she returns to the Brisbane venue on Saturday.
Andy Win completed a memorable Prima Park graduate double this week in the Matamata Glass & Joinery 2000 on Wednesday, and farm principal Kelly Van Dyk couldn’t be any happier with the result.
New Zealand three-year-old Geriatrix made a big impression when making his Australian debut at Eagle Farm on Saturday, albeit not in the race his trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott had hoped for.