Jockey Masa Hashizume (yellow colours) drives Karman Line to the line ahead of Cannon Hill in the $40,000 open 1600m race at Te Rapa last Sunday.
John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay.
Karman Line, a mare part-owned by Taradale-based Noel Lister, scored a timely win when taking out an open 1400m sprint at Te Rapa on Sunday as she is destined to be sold at auction at the end of next month.
The six-year-old mare recorded her first success in almost 12 months when winning the $40,000 BCD Group 1600 at Sunday’s Waikato meeting and is likely to have two more New Zealand starts before going under the hammer at Queensland’s Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale at the end of May.
Lister owns a 10% share in Karman Line, who is a Group 3 winner of four races from only 24 starts and has won $246,750 in stakemoney.
She has proven to be an enigma for her Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott throughout her career and her race record should read a lot better than it does, as she was also first past the post in an $80,000 Rating 75 race over 1400m at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day last year but later disqualified for a swabbing irregularity.
Lister said this week it has certainly been a frustrating ride for the mare’s connections, as not only has she mixed her form, but she has also been plagued by injuries.
“That’s why she has only had 24 starts,” Lister said. “She’s had more visits to the doctor than I’ve had.
“She was 34 weeks out with an injury once and then 35 weeks off again after that. She’s had back problems and leg problems throughout her career.”
The Australian-bred daughter of Myboycharlie has mixed her form from the outset and while she won the Lisa Chittick Plate (1400m) and Group 3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) last term, she missed a top-five finish in her opening four appearances this season, albeit in strong company.
A fourth placing behind Chattahoochee and stablemate Little Bit Of Love last time out indicated she was on the up, but punters were still wary of the mare and she closed off at a win dividend of $10.80 on Sunday.
In the hands of Masa Hashizume, Karman Line jumped positively and found her position off the rail in fourth, while Mr Mojo Risin’ sped up to lead the seven-horse affair. Race-favourite Witz End ranged up to the pacemaker on the home turn, but Karman Line was cruising and hit the lead at the 100m, fending off a strong challenge from Cannon Hill to score by a head.
O’Sullivan was at the course for the victory and commended the efforts of Hashizume, who has now guided the mare to three of her four wins.
“It was a very good ride by Masa, he gave her every possible chance and nursed her right up for as long as he could,” he said. “It was good to see her back winning again.
“She’s tricky, we don’t really know [why] and she mixes her form a little bit. We’ve tried different things with her around the stable and tried mixing it up with her, but she does seem to come right at this time of the year.
“We’ll be heading to Rotorua for the race she won last year, that’ll be her target once again. She certainly is hard to catch, but on her day, she has the ability.”
Lister said Karman Line is likely to contest another $40,000 race at Te Rapa, this time over 1400m, on April 26, before defending her crown in the Group 3 $100,000 Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m) at Arawa Park on May 10.
“She’s best when she has two weeks between races so it should work out right,” Lister added.
Karman Line was a $67,500 purchase from the 2020 Karaka yearling sales and was the first foal out of the Pierro mare World Away, who has also left the winners Alexandra Quick and Tristar.
Noel Lister has built a good association with O’Sullivan and Scott over the years and also has a 10% share in the talented three-year-old Prosegur in their Wexford Stables.
Prosegur recorded two wins and a third from her first six starts, before she was found to have a hole in a tendon after finishing well back in this year ’s Karaka Million Three-year-old Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie in January.
Lister said the injury is such that the filly will be a long time recuperating but he is hopeful she can return to the racetrack about Christmas time.
He has since taken out another 10% share in a yearling colt by Noverre that O’Sullivan and Scott purchased from this year’s Karaka yearling sales.
Sutherland suspended, heavily fined
Leading apprentice jockey Lily Sutherland kicked home two of the most satisfying wins of her career at Trentham last Saturday but they came at a substantial cost for the talented rider.
Sutherland, 21, produced two superb rides when taking out the Listed $120,000 Valley D’Vine Restaurant Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) on Mehzebeen and the Listed $80,000 City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) aboard Slipper Island but she earned the wrath of the judicial committee for both rides.
Sutherland admitted a charge of careless riding in that she permitted Mehzebeen to shift inwards when not sufficiently clear of Duncan Creek 400m from the finish, causing that horse to be severely checked. She was suspended from the conclusion of racing this Saturday until the conclusion of racing on Thursday, May 1 (seven riding days) and fined $800.
One race later Sutherland rode Slipper Island and admitted a charge of using her whip in consecutive strides on her mount near the 50m mark. She was fined another $1150.
Sutherland produced a brilliant rails hugging ride aboard progressive stayer Mehzebeen in the Hawke’s Bay Cup.
The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared five-year-old mare certainly enjoys the scenery at Trentham, having placed at her only two appearances there prior to Saturday, including finishing second to Pennyweka in the 2023 Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
The daughter of Almanzor had franked her staying potential with a winning double at Riccarton last November, where she claimed the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) and Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) in consecutive weeks. However, she was overlooked a little by punters at Trentham as she started an $11 chance despite having finished third in the New Zealand St Leger (2600m) at her last start.
Sutherland wasn’t afraid to take the initiative from barrier rise as she went to the lead on the mare leaving the straight before relinquishing that position with 1200m to run when tackled by Final Return.
Turning for home, Mehzebeen was trucking along nicely and Sutherland dived underneath Final Return at the 200m and sent the mare for home as she sprinted clear before holding out the strong late challenges of Nereus and Orlov by three-quarters of a length at the line.
Te Akau Racing manager Reece Trumper revealed the pre-race tactics from Bergerson were to head forward with the mare and they had paid a handsome dividend.
“Plan A was to push forward and then get a breather if Final Return went around and took over,” Trumper said.
“Luckily when she [Sutherland] was going to come to the outside, the inside run came and it was a great ride by Lily. While she is the leading apprentice in the country she is also one of the best jockeys as well.”
Sutherland knew she may have to spend some time in front of the judicial committee regarding her movement on the winner in the straight but was thrilled to get the victory.
“We got to the front fairly easily and as she has lead before we just cruised along and then got some cover [behind Final Return],” she said.
“I may have carved up one in the straight to get her out but when she quickens up she does it well.”
El Vencedor on target for HK feature
It is full steam ahead for the connections of El Vencedor, as the star galloper was on a flight to Hong Kong on Thursday in preparation for the Group 1 QEII Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on April 27.
El Vencedor has been unstoppable in New Zealand’s middle-distance ranks over the summer, winning three consecutive elite-level crowns in the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m), Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
The popular gelding’s stellar form did not go unnoticed on the global stage, rated joint-10th in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings and receiving an invitation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club to compete at the spectacle that is FWD Champions Day.
Stephen Marsh, alongside owner-breeders David Price and Mark Freeman, swiftly accepted the offer and have mapped out a plan that has gone smoothly to date. El Vencedor appeared at Ellerslie for an impressive trial win on April 3, before stepping out for an exhibition gallop at Te Rapa last Sunday.
“He’s done everything we wanted to see,” Marsh said. “I thought his trial was great, then he galloped up beautifully on Sunday at Te Rapa and he pulled up really well.
“We felt we’d given him enough after the Bonecrusher, he was fit and we just had to keep that fitness there. We haven’t been easy on him through the season, so he’s bang on.
“He’s in a great vein of form, he’s feeling well and he looks a million dollars. I’m really looking forward to getting him over there.”
The son of Shocking was on a flight out of Auckland on Thursday in the care of his trackwork rider Emma Smith, with Marsh to join them this Saturday.
Marsh is rapt to have secured the services of top Hong Kong-based jockey Zac Purton to ride El Vencedor in the QEII Cup.
“We are lucky to have Zac because not only is he the best rider up there, or one of the best anywhere for that matter, but he knows the form of every horse.
“We get his skill but also his knowledge and that is a huge, huge help.”
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