Eva Godiva, in the cerise colours, shows great determination to out-finish It's Pandemonium for a half-head victory in a maiden three-year-old race over 1600 metres at New Plymouth last Saturday.
It was only a lowly-rated maiden win but the way Hawke's Bay-owned Eva Godiva scored over 1600m at New Plymouth last Saturday suggests she could be headed for much bigger things.
The royally-bred filly looked likely to finish only second, when clearly headed inside the last 300m, but showed tremendous determination to wrest back the lead in the last few strides for a half-head decision on the line.
It was Eva Godiva's second start and followed a debut sixth over 1300m at Hastings on December 8. She was also fourth in a 935m Cambridge trial on November 28.
By champion Australian sire Redoute's Choice out of the Last Tycoon mare Gussy Godiva, Eva Godiva is trained by the Cambridge partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman and was bred by Waipukurau's Mick Ormond.
Ormond races the 3-year-old filly in partnership with his son Ru, another Waipukurau man, Peter Coleman, Andy Davies, from Hastings, The Grizzlies Syndicate and The Wild Kiwis Syndicate.
"The Grizzlies Syndicate is a group of golfers who play together at the Bridge Pa course in Hastings, while The Wild Kiwis are a bunch of friends that are spread over all parts of New Zealand," Ormond said this week.
Gussy Godiva, the dam of Eva Godiva, was the winner of four races including two in Australia and has built a good record at stud with nearly all of her foals having won.
Her first foal was Rios (by Hussonet) who won six races including the Group 2 Wellington Guineas, while the second foal was Roman Emperor (by Montjeu), who won two races but one of those was the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m).
Volgus (two wins) and Omana (one win) are others out of the mare who have been successful in New Zealand, while Chairman Wind has had seven starts in Singapore for a second and a third.
Gussy Godiva is out of the Grosvenor mare Sneetch, who won three races and finished third in a Group 1 New Zealand Oaks. She has spent most of her breeding life in Australia and Ormond has sold most of her male progeny and kept the fillies.
He sold Chairman Wind (by Medaglia D'Oro) for A$150,000 and also sold a full-brother to Eva Godiva for A$400,000 at the 2014 Australian Easter yearling sales.
"The latest one we sold was a colt by Snitzel who was bought by the China Horse Club for A$375,000 at this year's Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast," Ormond said.
"He is called Augustus and is trained by Chris Waller. He hasn't raced yet but he's had a trial and goes very well."
Ormond said he desperately wanted a filly by Redoute's Choice out of Gussy Godiva as that stallion's cross with Last Tycoon mares has been hugely successful and he wanted a well bred filly to continue the breed.
"The mare is now 18 years old so she is getting on," Ormond said. But we've got this one out of her and so we are very happy."
Gussy Godiva is back in New Zealand and has a filly foal at foot by Per Incanto and is now in foal to Charm Spirit.
Ormond said the dream for him and his partners is for Eva Godiva to contest the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham in March but admits she will need to progress significantly in the interim.
"She has only just won a lowly-rated maiden race at New Plymouth so you can't get carried away," he said.
"She's no sprinter and, who knows, she could be better as a four or 5-year-old but if she was to win another one quickly we would have to look at the New Zealand Oaks."
Hugo shows who is boss
Hastings trainer John Bary has big plans in the coming month for Hugo The Boss, who chalked up his second win from six starts on Wednesday of last week.
The Stratum colt is likely to have his next start in the Group 1 $225,000 Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham on January 14 and then could be headed for the Listed $250,000 Karaka Three-year-old Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 29.
Bary took Hugo The Boss north to the Tauranga meeting last week where he contested a $7000 Rating 65 race over 1400m against older horses.
The colt suffered interference soon after the start of the race which put him back to near last in the 11 horse field. He then suffered another check 400m from the finish but rider Cameron Lammas didn't panic and weaved a passage through the field in the home straight to get the horse up for a long head victory.
Hugo The Boss has always been held in high regard by Bary and led all the way to win his race debut over 1000m at Tauherenikau in October last year. He resumed in a fresh campaign with a fourth over 1400m at Ashburton in October this year and had recorded a seventh and an eighth in two subsequent 1200m races before last week's win.
Mike Sanders, who manages most of the syndicates for John Bary's stable, said this week that Hugo The Boss has always shown a lot but he was a horse that tended to over-race and the trick has been to get him to race more kindly.
"Cameron got him to settle at Tauranga and he was almost put over the running rail at one stage so it was a pretty big performance," Sanders said.
"He really showed a great turn of foot over the final stages."
John Bary outlayed $100,000 to buy Hugo The Boss from the premier session at the 2015 Karaka yearling sales and then set about gathering a group of people to race the colt.
He is now owned by the Best Dressed Syndicate, which comprises Taradale couple Alan and Paula Keall, Innes Nesbitt (Hastings), Narendra Balia and Blair and Denise Martin (Auckland), Wayne Higgs and Gavin Dunnett (Christchurch), Bill Gleeson (Palmerston North), Peter Gillespie and Lawrie Bolton (Tauranga) and Heath Newton, who lives in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
Hugo The Boss is out of the Zabeel mare Dressed, who was a winner over 1600m in Australia and is from the family of Virage De Fortune, who won eight races including the Group 1 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley and the Group 1 QTC Sires' Produce Stakes. The fourth dam in the pedigree is the champion Australian racemare Emancipation, who won 19 races, six of them at Group 1 level.
New Year's Day races
Hawke's Bay Racing will stage one of its most popular racedays on the Hastings racecourse this Sunday.
The annual New Year's Day race meeting promises to be a fun-filled occasion with plenty of free activities for children, as well as live music and great racing action for the adults to enjoy.
Pack a picnic or sample the fabulous local food and wine Hawke's Bay has to offer at the Hastings track.
There is an eight race programme carded, with the first timed for 12.52pm and the last at 5.11pm.
Hawke's Bay Racing is offering special early-bird deals for admission and Members Stand passes. Admission will be $10.00 per person until 2pm tomorrow (December 31) and $15.00 thereafter, with those under 18 free.
Members Stand passes can be purchased for $30 up until 2pm tomorrow and will sell for $35.00 on race day.
A punters' club will be operating on the day, and tickets will be available at $10.00 each.
Johnson suspended
An improper riding charge against Chris Johnson has been downgraded to careless riding with the leading South Island jockey pleading guilty.
It arose from an incident in a race at Ashburton on December 16 in which he was originally alleged to have directed his mount Pippi Rea inwards causing severe crowding to Radiant.
After hearing evidence from all parties, the Judicial Control Authority downgraded the charge to one of careless riding to which Johnson admitted. He has been suspended from January 2 to January 14.
Hasselhoof bled
The summer campaign of the stakes winner Hasselhoof is over. The son of Tavistock finished seventh in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Monday and a subsequent veterinary examination revealed the gelding had bled.
Trained at Ruakaka by Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs, Hasselhoof has won six of his 13 starts including the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie this time last year..
Heading north
Son Of Maher will head to next month's Wellington meeting at the top of his game after last season's Group 1 Levin Classic runner-up lumped 61kg to an easy victory at Wingatui on Monday.
"He'll run in the Anniversary Handicap and the Thorndon Mile," said Michael Pitman, who trains with his son Matthew.
"We're also thinking about the Douro Cup so he could race on three consecutive Saturdays."
Son Of Maher has recorded four wins and five seconds from only 14 starts.
Ellerslie return
Improving filly Storytime is likely to make a return trip to Auckland next month.
The Savabeel 3-year-old finished runner-up to the unbeaten Volpe Veloce in the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) in her first Ellerslie appearance on Boxing Day.
"She went a lovely race and she handled the track well, so we'll have no fears about going back," said Evan Rayner, who prepares the filly with his daughter J. J.
"She's eligible for the Karaka Three-year-old Mile and that's worth $250,000. We'll probably give her a freshen-up for that and her main aim is the New Zealand Oaks in March."
Eva Godiva, in the cerise colours, shows great determination to out-finish It's Pandemonium for a half-head victory in a maiden three-year-old race over 1600 metres at New Plymouth last Saturday. The well-bred filly could now be headed for bigger things in the coming months.