Credit Race Images
Weather affects most things and often features in Kiwi Chronicles’ weekly rundown. The equinox came and went but spring had to wait beyond a brief cold snap which swept north from the South Pole, midweek.
Once acceptances were published it was reported that the Hastings track was rated a Soft 6 and the forecast looked highly promising. Could it be? Could we finally get conditions befitting a top-class race day? Saturday dawned glorious and the turnout at Hastings matched the day. The club put on a great event and the quality of racing also matched the occasion. It was worth the wait.
On paper, the Gold Trail Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) appeared stronger than the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m). Hawea (Hellbent) did more than enough to claim pole position leading up to the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) while the Guineas revealed a possible new star when Old Fashioned (Proisir) emerged from a wall of horses to remain unbeaten.
The lesson from the Howden Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) was simple. Never dismiss previous Group 1 form. Waitak (Proisir) keeps showing up, keeps fighting and keeps winning. His great spirit was all too evident as he was no sure thing with 200 metres to run.
Well done Hastings. Your refurbished track held up superbly. We had a clue from your previous meeting when the Heavy 8 track held together so well. There were no clods being tossed about that day. Saturday’s track improved throughout the day as eight of the runners broke 1:24 for the 1400-metre Guineas and Waitak ran a sharp 1:34.51 for the 1600 metres.
Familiar territory
Jumping from eighth position on the leading sire list, Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir (Choisir) is back in familiar territory. With two new winners the previous day at Te Rapa, which preceded another at Riccarton, he then proceeded to dominate the Hastings stakes program. Old Fashioned’s super win in the Guineas brought his sire’s individual stakes winner tally to 26 and Waitak’s $230,000 boost sent Proisir out to a $180,000 lead on the sires’ totem pole.
The difference between winning and losing the Howden Mile was Waitak’s favoured run. Craig Grylls found the rail soon after the jump, whereas $6.50 favourite Tuxedo (Tivaci) and Opie Bosson were trapped three deep for the entire journey. Grylls expertly guided Waitak from an awkward spot prior to straightening to peel out at precisely the right time. On his outer was She’s A Dealer (Ace High) and on hers was Tuxedo (Tivaci).
From the 250-metre mark, these three levelled up and at the 100 metres it was anyone’s guess as to which would gain superiority. A brave She’s A Dealer peaked in the last couple strides, and the camera was brought in to determine the decision, with Waitak and Tuxedo not in unison. The official margin was a short half-head – a thrilling conclusion to an entertaining race, with Grylls adding: “He was tough and wouldn’t lie down.”
Waitak is now a known quantity and has a history of rising to the occasion. His racing career began before Christmas as a two-year-old. His fortunes changed dramatically when co-trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott changed tack after Waitak’s three-year-old season which leaned towards the classics, the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) being the focus, plus a four-race stint in Queensland, the Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) the objective.
It transpired that staying was not his forte and in quite the turnaround, the training duo went down the sprint path and Waitak duly obliged as a four-year-old with a whirlwind finish in the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), that year run at Pukekohe while the Ellerslie track was being overhauled. Later that season he got the call to head west for The Quokka (1200m) over in Perth.
A similar program of sprints and miles was undertaken for his five-year-old season but the zip was missing, the season ending with a Group 2 double including the middle-distance Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m).
Hastings was out of commission last season, which meant that the Howden Mile and the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2000m) were staged at Te Rapa and Ellerslie respectively. Waitak scored both for a handsome back-to-back double and although he returned to Ellerslie in the autumn to run Legarto (Proisir) to a head in the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), the Livamol was his last win prior to last Saturday.
Now seven, Waitak is in the right form to replicate last year’s double. In 40 starts the gelding has amassed a tick over $2 million from nine wins, four of which have been at the elite level. He was never offered for sale and is a pure Rich Hill product as his dam is by the ever-underrated Shocking (Street Cry).
Significantly, Danehill (Danzig) features three times in the fourth remove of his pedigree. Danehill’s grandsire Northern Dancer (Nearctic) shows up in no fewer than seven lines. It seems you cannot get enough of a good thing. Danehill is the sire of his great-grandam Star, a daughter of the outstanding 2YO and VRC Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Desirable (Without Fear). You know there has to be a further New Zealand connection as Desirable is from the Le Filou (Vatellor) mare High Desire.
In May 2019 buyers missed an opportunity as Repo Bay (Shocking), carrying Waitak, was offered at the NZB May Mixed Bloodstock Sale. The package was passed in. The reserve was $20,000.
26 and counting
A filly, Asturia (Almanzor), started favourite against the boys for the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) and the race looked like a match between her and Excite (Wootton Bassett). The latter blew the start and was never a factor, whereas the filly charged home well along the fence for a noteworthy second. However, it was a newcomer, the Proisir colt Old Fashioned, who stole the show when emerging from what looked like an impossible position soon after straightening.
Old Fashioned arrived at Hastings unbeaten at his only start, at Wanganui in June, where he won with something in hand having won a trial by five lengths also in June. His reputation was clear as he started third favourite despite his debut win against modest opposition.
Similar to Waitak, Old Fashioned enjoyed an economical rails run to the 600 metres but unlike Waitak was locked away in a pocket at the 300. A gap appeared when Texas Cowboy (Ace High) moved out under pressure allowing Old Fashioned to dash through and grab the lead at the 100 before being punched out to win well by a length in good time. Kelly Myers commented that the big colt has gears and raced like a professional.
On that performance, it would not surprise to learn that he has been sold. Wins like that normally result in a flurry of bloodstock agent activity and Old Fashioned could easily be racing in new colours and in a different jurisdiction. If he remains in New Zealand he will be a force among the three-year-olds heading towards the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
Passed in with a reserve of $150,000 at last year’s NZB Ready to Run Sale, Old Fashioned, raced by his breeders, is the first winner from his dam, Contrary Mary (Rip Van Winkle). The latter is one of seven winners from seven to race out of Mary Agnes (Zabeel) who produced Group 2–placed Time Lord (Guillotine).
Old Fashioned is also the first stakes winner in four generations of his family as it is necessary to go all the way back to his fourth dam, Listed-placed Wanda’s Tear (Sir Ivor) who ranks as a half-sister to the fine staying filly, Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 12f) winner Awaasif (Snow Knight), who raced during the 1980s.
Class confirmed
We saw Hawea (Hellbent) at Taupo last month, where she impressed everyone with her last to first win in the inaugural Chittick Family Fillies Classic (Listed, 1100m). Based on that huge run she started as favourite for the Gold Trail Stakes, causing concern when she was not keen to enter the starting stalls.
Her troubles were not over as she was caught wide early, causing Wiremu Pinn to go forward to find a better spot. That didn’t happen and they were trapped three deep, without cover, to the top of the straight.
She needed a few strides to balance then put her head down for the chase. She kept finding, took over at the 100 and really gave her opponents little chance to the line. That was a special effort and, based on that, it will take something extra special to beat her in the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas. Her class was confirmed. Pinn was quick to blame himself for a poor ride: “Put a line through the ride, but not the horse.”
Group 2-placed in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) last season, she is now two from five with earnings of $171,200, a nice deposit on the $300,000 she made from Wentwood Grange’s Book 1 draft at the 2025 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale. From all accounts she was a stunning yearling and appears to have lived up to her looks.
The writer loves her family, developed by Richard Moore of Soliloquy Lodge. Forget who the sire is, this family churns out stakes winners annually and it doesn’t matter at all who the sires are. Her family, descending from the great Soliloquy (Sobig) herself, is generationally responsible for 42 individual stakes winners.
Second in the Gold Trail was Liguria (Snitzel) who will likely improve from the run. Expect her to be a major danger next time out as the lightly raced filly was racing fresh up.
Liguria races in the gold and black colours of Cambridge Stud and their day was highlighted by the first Group 1 winner for resident sire Sword Of State (Snitzel). The Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) resulted in utter domination by the late Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) as big winner Warwoven is a grandson while second home St Gotthard is a son, as is fourth home, Tenenbaum. The Golden Pendant (Gr 2, 1400m) went to his daughter Lazzura.
A Group 1 winner from the first crop is every studmaster’s dream, especially as Warwoven demolished such a strong field. Next, of course, is the needed follow-up to maintain Sword Of State’s momentum.
Scoop
Among the attendees at Hastings was Colin Litt who, in partnership with his wife Helen, raced New Zealand Champion Filly Orchestral (Savabeel). Last March, at Trentham, Kiwi Chronicles asked Litt if a decision had been made regarding Orchestral’s first mating, but no stallion had been selected.
Saturday, Litt was happy to provide us with a scoop. Orchestral had a date with I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) at 11am on Sunday morning. Her new career is underway and she joins her brother-in-blood Savaglee (Savabeel) who also began his new career at Mapperley Stud this month.
