Photo: Race Images South
The only thing certain as horses slogged their way to the winning post in Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) was that Matamata trainer Pam Gerard would produce the quinella in the Riccarton classic.
Heavy rain during the day had seen the track reduced to a Heavy9 rating that threw a massive spanner in the works as connections of the 15 runners tried to work out if their horse could handle the downgraded surface and just how competitive they would be.
Gerard was in that camp with the well-favoured Affirmative Action and stablemate Romanoff (Belardo), but she needn’t have worried as the pair went clear at the 200m mark to fight out a desperate finish that went in favour of Romanoff by the barest of margins.
Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz had Romanoff away well from the start and stalking the pacemakers He Who Dares and Mission Complete throughout as George Rooke on Affirmative Action sat one pair further back but out wider as they searched for better ground.
Queiroz and Romanoff stuck closer to the inner rounding the home bend as Affirmative Action swung to the middle of the track and headed off He Who Dares at the 300m. The Gerard pair came together with 200m to run and set down to a dogfight which went stride for stride to the post.
The issue was only settled several minutes after the runners had pulled up with the judge declaring Romanoff, a son of former Haunui Farm stallion Belardo, the winner from his stablemate with maiden galloper Shoma storming into third just ahead of Little Black Dress.
Gerard was a bundle of emotion as she came to terms with what had transpired just minutes earlier.
“I don’t know if I can handle this anymore, it is just too much,” Gerard said.
“Just the whole thing as they are both really nice horses and I think their class has shown (today).
“There is no question that I was really worried about the track and I still don’t think they liked it one bit, but on a wet day Romanoff may always have been the better on it although I honestly thought the other horse had got up.
“My staff at home are just amazing as so much goes into getting here and it is hard on a day when you get a hailstorm and all the work that has gone in you think bloody hell, but we managed to get away with it.
“We just have fantastic owners and the guys from Aussie that are here have never experienced anything like this, but they will be definitely coming back.”
Queiroz, who had ridden 16 Group One winners in his native Brazil, was beaming as he celebrated his first New Zealand success at the highest level.
“I just had one dream which was a Group One here (in New Zealand) as I have 16 in Brazil and today I am very glad,” he said.
“Thank you to God along with the connections of this horse for the big opportunity.
“It was so close but I’m so glad as I thought I had won as he fought so hard the last 100m.”
Bred by Marie Leicester from her Stravinsky mare Tsarina Belle, Romanoff has now won his second race from seven starts and over $454,000 for a large group of owners.
He was purchased by Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman for $75,000 from the Haunui Farm draft during the Book 2 sale at Karaka in 2024.
