James Bridge said he was sorry to lose Okie Dokie from his stable but the offer was too good to turn down. The sale was negotiated by Central Districts bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo.
Dundeel unbeaten
Exciting Hawke's Bay-owned galloper Dundeel added to his unbeaten record with another impressive win in Saturday's group 3 $200,000 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Randwick in Sydney.
It was the 3-year-old's fourth win from as many starts and his first black-type success.
Rider James McDonald settled the High Chaparral colt at the tail of the seven-horse field until the home turn and the horse unleashed a powerful sprint down the outside of the track in the last 300m to win comfortably. It was his first start beyond 1600m.
Dundeel, or It's a Dundeel as he is known in Australia, is trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman at Cambridge.
He is raced by the Transtasman Syndicate, a group set up by the horse's Havelock North breeder Murray Andersen. He and his wife Jo 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).
Baker said Dundeel would be stepped up in distance again in the Group 1 A$400,000 ($513,000) Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 6 and then be aimed at the A$1.5 million Victorian Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 3.
Baker prepared the ill-fated Lion Tamer to win the VRC Derby two years ago.
Notable win
The Hastings partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen pulled off a great training feat when they produced Miss Lioness to win over 1350m at Gisborne last Thursday in her first race for 17 months.
The Johar mare came from a midfield position on the home turn to score an easy victory in a Rating 75 event, her third success from just nine starts.
Miss Lioness recorded two wins in the space of three starts at the beginning of last year, then tackled the group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa. She finished near the tail of the field in that race but was hampered several times in the running.
She then suffered a ricked joint in a leg and had to be spelled for 12 months before a long, slow build-up back to race fitness.
She had been given only one barrier trial, over 1000 metres at Foxton last month, to fit her for last Thursday's race.
The 6-year-old is certainly bred to be good as she is a half-sister to the 2010 Victorian Derby winner Lion Tamer, who was the winner of six races from just 15 starts but who had to be destroyed after breaking down in last year's Cox Plate (2040m) in Melbourne.
Miss Lioness is part-owned by Hastings' Gareth Arnold, who races the mare in partnership with Wellington's Andre Neill and Cambridge-based Tony Rider.
Guy Lowry said Miss Lioness would now be aimed at the group 3 $70,000 Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham on October 27 in the hope she may be able to pick up some black type to enhance her future broodmare value.
Marathon victory
Hastings-trained jumper No Quota capped three minor placings with a game win in the longest hurdle race in the country at last Wednesday's Rotorua-Bay Of Plenty Hunt meeting at Rotorua.
The Kingfisher Mill 8-year-old contested the 4400m Team Weallens Hurdles and outstayed his six rivals to score by three-quarters of a length.
It was his first success in 13 starts.
The race is significantly longer than the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) run at Riccarton last month and the Great Northern Hurdles (4190m) run at Ellerslie this month.
No Quota is trained at Hastings by Paul Nelson and raced by him in partnership with his wife Carol. They bred the gelding out of the Victory Dance mare All Magic and he had already recorded a second and two thirds from five hurdle starts.