Hastings owner celebrates as Damask Rose claims NZB Kiwi victory - John Jenkins

Damask Rose powering home up against the inside rail to win last Saturday’s $3.5 million NZB Kiwi under the urgings of Australian jockey Blake Shinn.

John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bay.

The dream burst into reality for Hastings racehorse owner Kieran Pollard when Damask Rose powered home from near last on the home turn to take out the inaugural running of the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi at Ellerslie.

Pollard is a 10% shareholder in the Te Akau Coming Up Roses Racing Partnership, which owns the Savabeel 3-year-old filly.

At this stage, he is unsure what, in monetary terms, last Saturday’s win will mean for him personally as he is still just soaking up the euphoria surrounding the result.

The prestigious event was the first slot race run in New Zealand, whereby 14 slots were put up for auction several months ago.

The successful slot holders then had to either come up with a horse they owned or negotiate with others to secure a horse to race in their colours and do a deal on percentages.

Te Akau Racing, headed by David Ellis, purchased one of the slots and selected Damask Rose as its representative. Pollard said his understanding is that the deal was 60% to Te Akau Coming Up Roses Racing Partnership and 40% to Te Akau Racing.

First prizemoney in the race was set at $1.2m but, with bonuses attached, it amounted to $1.8m.

Pollard envisaged that, less nomination and acceptance fees as well as 10% to the horse’s trainers and 5% to the jockey, his syndicate should clear just under $1m.

He and his partner drove up to Auckland on the eve of Saturday’s race hoping and dreaming the horse that had already given them so many highs could pull off the biggest prize in New Zealand racing history.

Not only did Damask Rose win the 1500m event but she gave a field of outstanding 3-year-olds a head-start and a beating, aided by one of the best rides you will ever see by top Australian jockey Blake Shinn.

Shinn never went around a horse as he steered Damask Rose, on a rail-hugging route, from the tail of the field turning into the straight to surge clear in the final stages for a 1-1/2 length win over the Australian-trained favourite Evaporate, with Checkmate a half-head back in third.

Pollard described being there to witness such an incredible win as “an amazing feeling” and one he will cherish forever.

“I am only just starting to come down from cloud nine,” he said, when contacted on Wednesday.

“It was just a fantastic day and the result made it so special.

“I was jumping up and down that high that I think I could have beaten that guy who won the high jump gold medal for New Zealand at the Olympics.”

Hamish Kerr after winning gold for New Zealand in the high jump at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Photo / Michael Burgess

Pollard said he was talking to someone when the race started and missed seeing Damask Rose jump out of the barrier. When he looked up to see her at the tail of the 14-horse field, his heart sunk.

“I thought ‘that didn’t go to plan and we are now in big trouble',” he said.

He added that those thoughts were also in the minds of the filly’s trainers, Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, who were standing nearby.

“I heard Sam say to Mark ‘she’ll have to be something special to win from there' and I thought then we were no-hope.”

The only person not worried was Shinn, who showed an amazingly cool head in letting the filly get into a rhythm at the back before plotting a path for victory.

“She was a bit slow at the start so we had to go to Plan B and ride her a bit quiet, so fortunately the speed was on,” Shinn said after the race.

“I was contemplating coming wide but the way the race set up I had to look for inside runs, which came and she was good enough to capitalise on them.

“She has an electric turn of foot, a real desire to take the gaps and savage the line as the pressure was starting to tell up against the rails but she pinned her ears back and I’m just delighted.”

Pollard said it wasn’t until he saw the overhead drone shot of the field coming up the home straight that he got to appreciate just what tight gaps Shinn took to secure Damask Rose a clear run.

“She was banging up against the rail at times but [Shinn] said that seemed to switch her on more and she seemed to pin her ears back and wanted to get there.”

Pollard said when he shook Shinn’s hand after the race the quietly spoken jockey said: “You have got a good one here. She’s a real Group 1 horse”.

He said Evaporate’s co-trainer Ben Hayes re-iterated Shinn’s comments by saying Damask Rose was a very classy filly.

She has now had seven starts for four wins, a second and a third for stake earnings of more than $2.2m.

They include the $1.5m Karaka Millions Three-year-old Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie in January and a second in the $1m Karaka Millions Two-year-old Classic (1200m) in January last year.

By winning the NZB Kiwi, the filly has now gained automatic entry into the A$10m ($11.3m) Golden Eagle (1500m) on the Rosehill track in Sydney on November 1, and Pollard said that is now the spring target.

“Mark and Sam will now work back from there and plan a programme for her,” Pollard said.

“It’s great because New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing will pay the transport to and from Sydney.”

He was already making plans to be on track at Rosehill if she gets to line up in the big race.

“I would say that the ownership group could grow because there are a few others who want to be involved in making the trip,” he added.

In the meantime, Damask Rose is now headed to the spelling paddock.

“She is off for a well-deserved break,” Bergerson said. “We have peaked her twice for the Karaka Millions and NZB Kiwi, it would be hard to go again.

“We will bring her back and potentially aim her at a Golden Eagle prep now that she has got the golden ticket into it.

“We think the world is her oyster and we still think there is a bit of upside there.”

Pollard said Damask Rose is the only horse the Te Akau Coming Up Roses Partnership is racing and, for some members, it is their first venture into horse racing ownership.

“You could imagine emotions were pretty raw after the race with plenty of people crying with joy,” Pollard said.

“Even Reece Trumper, who is racing manager for Te Akau Racing, had tears in his eyes, so it is something I will never forget.”

Sun shines again for Hawke’s Bay couple

Napier couple Alister and Jeannette Cameron enjoyed many high moments in racing when they raced the multiple stakes-winning mare Kay’s Awake some years ago, and their enthusiasm has been re-ignited by a horse now racing in Australia.

The couple own a 5% share in Majorca Sunset, a 3-year-old gelding by The Autumn Sun who created a good impression when winning an A$100,000 ($110,276) maiden race over 1600m at Sydney’s Warwick Farm track on Wednesday of last week.

Majorca Sunset is prepared by former New Zealand trainer Bjorn Baker and was having his sixth start, following two seconds and a third from his previous five outings.

Josh Parr, who has built up a great association with the Baker stable, was aboard Majorca Sunset last week and had the horse in a trailing position until the home turn before kicking him clear over the final stages for a half-length win.

Majorca Sunset is bred to be good as his dam, Rosa Bonita, is a daughter of Deep Impact, who was crowned Japanese Champion sire for nine consecutive years and was one of the world’s most dominant stallions.

The Camerons raced Kay’s Awake from the Matamata stable of Peter McKay back in the early 2000s and the Towkay mare’s six wins included the Listed Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie.

She also recorded nine second placings and four thirds from her 37 New Zealand starts and was twice runner-up behind the great mare Seachange at Group 1 level, in the Telegraph Handicap (1200m) at Trentham and Waikato Draught Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa.

Another Aussie campaign for La Crique

Trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander have always felt distance would be La Crique’s best friend, and they will give her the opportunity to step up over ground when they head to Australia with her later this month.

The daughter of Vadamos kept her perennial bridesmaid tag firmly intact last weekend, going down by the barest of margins behind El Vencedor in the Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie, extending her elite-level runner-up sequence to four.

Despite going down again, La Crique’s conditioners were proud of her efforts, particularly the tenacity she showed in the closing stages after being the aggressor throughout the contest.

“We were super happy with our mare, she made it a race, and that is what we intended going out to do. Michael (McNab, jockey) made a good decision during the running that we had to take it to them and see if she could hang on.

“If it was a dead-heat that would have been the dream, but she has pulled up super well from it so that is the main thing.”

La Crique’s last three starts have been over 2000m, and Alexander is looking forward to trying her over further ground once more, with the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill on March 29 now firmly in the planning.

It will be La Crique’s third Australian campaign, having previously finished fourth in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in 2022, and winning the A$500,000 ($551,417) National Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm last June.

The Tancred’s 2400m will also be the second time La Crique has been tested over that distance, having previously finished runner-up to Asterix in the 2022 edition of the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).