Star Hawke's Bay owned and bred 3-year-old Dundeel has been installed a warm favourite for the A$1.5 million ($1.86 million) Victoria Derby on November 3 after maintaining his unbeaten record with another impressive performance in Sydney on Saturday.
The High Chaparral colt, known as It's A Dundeel in Australia, stepped up to 2000 metres for the first time in the Group 1 A$400,000 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick and was expected by Australian racing followers to play second fiddle to another unbeaten colt, the Gai Waterhouse-trained Proisir.
The two horses sorted themselves out from the rest of the field in the final 300 metres, with Proisir looking to have the race won until Dundeel made a determined lunge in the last few strides to claim a short-neck victory.
It was a performance that impressed not only the horse's Cambridge co-trainer Murray Baker and rider James McDonald but also Proisir's jockey, Nash Rawiller.
"It was a great race, two great colts fighting it out like that," Baker said.
"He's only small. I've got a half-sister to him at home and she's bigger than him and she's only a yearling. But he really digs deep in the last 100 metres [and] he really finds another gear."
McDonald rates Dundeel one of the best horse's he has ridden and has no doubts he will run out the 2500m distance of the VRC Derby at Flemington.
"He silenced a few critics today. He's underrated," McDonald said.
"He's going the right way into the Derby and has a great will to win."
Rawiller wasn't disappointed in Proisir, saying not much went the horse's way in the running. But he also paid tribute to the Kiwi victor saying: "He's an exceptional stayer. It took one to beat us to be honest."
Dundeel made it five wins from five starts and Baker, who prepares the colt in partnership with Andrew Forsman, said he will now contest the Group 2 A$200,000 AAMI Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 27 as a final lead-up to the Derby.
Dundeel is raced by the Transtasman Syndicate, a group set up by the horse's Havelock North breeder, Murray Andersen. He and his wife, Jo, have retained a 20 per cent shareholding. Their daughter, Tracy, and her husband, Gavin Chaplow, have a 10 per cent share as do two other Havelock North couples, Mike and Sharon Craig and Dave and Jenny Morrison.
The other 50 per cent shareholding is split between Tony Muollo (Wellington), Tony and Jenny Joyce (Wellington), Max and Jo Brown (Wellington), Dino and Ange Focas (Gold Coast) and Tony and Jana Muollo (Sydney).
Dashing debut
Hastings-trained Thedepot looked a 3-year-old destined for much higher honours when scoring a game debut win in a 1200-metre maiden race at Wanganui last Thursday.
The General Nediym gelding only got the decision by a nose over Mulan Queen but showed a tremendous will to win in the final 100 metres.
Thedepot, trained at Hastings by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, went into the race without having had an official barrier trial. However, he had performed well in a couple of jumpouts and Lowry and Cullen were confident of a bold first-up run.
The strongly-built chestnut is owned by his Cambridge breeder, Tony Rider, and is certainly bred to be good. He is out of the Danasinga mare Curbyourenthusiasm, whose dam was the highclass racemare Starcent.
Starcent, by Centaine, raced 10 times for five wins and two seconds. She won the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and Lowland Stakes (1400m) at Tauherenikau as a 3-year-old and also finished second to Tartan Tights in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton and second to Avedon in the Group 1 Bayer Classic (1600m) at Otaki.
Thedepot is the first foal Rider has bred out of Curbyourenthusiasm but she has since produced a colt by O'Reilly and a filly by Mastercraftsman and is now due to foal to Zabeel.
Thedepot is likely to start next at Trentham on October 27, in either the Rating 65 1400 or special conditions 1200. Another good performance there could see the horse head south for the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) on November 10.
Smart stayer
Hawke's Bay-owned Ripdiddler made it two wins in a row when leading all the way in a Rating 65 2200-metre race at Woodville on Monday.
The 7-year-old Istidaad gelding was having just his fifth start and scored a maiden win at Otaki at his previous start.
Trained at Foxton by Christine Eagle, Ripdiddler is owned by his Waipawa breeders, John and Jan Frizzell.
He is out of the Spectacular Love mare Swift Encounter, from a family that the Frizzells have been associated with for many years, with Swift Encounter winning two races for them and her dam, Indian Swift, the winner of six.
The Frizzells also race a 5-year-old half-brother to Ripdiddler, Hunky Dory, and own a yearling gelding by Captain Rio out of Swift Encounter.
Ready to resume
Shesalljazz, Rockweiler and Youtoofast recorded dominant wins at jumpouts held on the Hastings track yesterday as they prepare to kick off fresh campaigns.
There were 11 heats, run up against the inside rail, on the firm course proper.
Shesalljazz clocked a very quick 43.8s in winning her 750m heat by seven lengths, running the last 600m in 32.5s. She is a Coats Choice mare in the Hastings stable of Patrick Campbell and the winner of four races from 16 starts.
Rockweiler was no less impressive when winning his 1000m heat by six lengths and clocking a time of 58.4s. He is a 4-year-old by Keeninsky who had two starts from the John Bary stable last season for a fourth and a sixth and is now prepared by new Hastings trainer Tina Wood.
Youtoofast also recorded a good time of 59.5s when winning her 1000-metre heat by four lengths. The Fast 'N' Famous mare is trained on the Hastings track by Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen.
Crestfallen Hastings Boys' players were 'pretty emotional' about the incident, says coach.