Racing: Southland stunner Pivotal Ten gets chance to shine in NZB Kiwi

Pivotal Ten with Samantha Wynne after winning Saturday's Southland Guineas at Invercargill. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand’s richest ever race now has its fairy tale southern flavour after Pivotal Ten secured a slot in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi last night.

The Canterbury filly is trained and ridden by jockey Samantha Wynne and cost owner Colin Wightman just $15,000 at the National Weanling Sale in 2022.

She has emerged as one of the surprise stars of the New Zealand racing summer having won her last five races, including the NZB Insurance Stakes, Gore Guineas and a stunning victory in the Southland Guineas at Invercargill on Saturday.

They are all black-type races and that was enough to convince the Selangor Turf Club (STC) from Malaysia they should take a chance on the southern filly in the new slot race at Ellerslie on March 8.

Bloodstock agent and auctioneer Mike Kneebone, who works in the Asian market for New Zealand Bloodstock, has fostered the relationship between New Zealand and Malaysia and the STC slot holders put him in charge of securing the right horse.

“We worked hard to get them this filly who we just love and are thrilled to get her,” said Kneebone.

“We have all seen her class as she has gotten better every start this summer and she is not only a really good filly but it is a great story.

“Everybody knows how passionate and proud South Island racing fans are and here they have one of their own, a horse who has done her racing all around the South Island, in the richest race we have ever held in this country.”

The STC reps only bought their slot in the NZB Kiwi in November, when it was auctioned at the Ready To Run sale at Karaka, with part of the price they paid going to charity.

“They were really big on having a crack at the slot because of the charity component and wanting to show their support for New Zealand racing,” Kneebone said.

“They are very excited about being part of the day. They already have a group of 20 booked to make the trip down for the race.”

Pivotal Ten is an example of the shrinking racing world as she is by former shuttle stallion Ten Sovereigns from the British-bred mare Woodcote Lass, who was brought into New Zealand by the late Kevin Hickman’s Valachi Downs operation.

She is trained and driven by Irish-born and raised Wynne, who is popular for her skills, attitude and accent and will now race in a slot owned by a group of racing enthusiasts from Malaysia. “It is such a cool story on so many levels and great for the NZB Kiwi,” Kneebone said.

A deal is believed to be in the offing that could see another party purchase a share in Pivotal Ten but even if that goes ahead it will not affect her NZB Kiwi campaign.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.