It was a case of more is more–in this case more ground–in the NZ$500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup, as Humphrey and Fiona O'Leary's Ladies First (NZ) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) eked out the narrowest of wins over Five to Midnight (NZ) (Domesday {Aus}), after being hung wide on multiple bends in the marathon 3200-metre feature race at Ellerslie. Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper {Aus}) was only a head back in third, with Alinko Prince (NZ) (Alamosa {NZ}) fourth by a half-length.
Trapped well off the fence behind the first flight as Diesel (NZ) (Electronic Zone) showed the way down the backstretch, the 5-1 shot found herself three deep in midfield past the wire the first time. Gunned up to take closer order in third entering the penultimate turn, she dropped back a spot, but was still positioned a few paths out from the fence with 1000 metres to go. Diesel still cut out fractions at the 600m, but was under pressure from Wildflower and Johnathan Parkes let Ladies First loose just two lengths behind that duo. Diesel stalled in upper stretch, as Araldo Junior (Ger) Medicean {GB}) briefly took command, but Ladies First ground past in determined fashion and Five to Midnight was letting down just off her left shoulder as the wire neared. A nose was all that separated the latter pair at the winning post.
Trainer Allan Sharrock was in a state of shock and thought she'd missed the bob as well, and he told www.nzracing.co.nz, “She was posted three wide around one bend and then two bends and I said 'she can't win.' I'm rapt, but I did think she had got beaten on the line. I'm a bit shocked really–I thought she had run second. We've pulled her out of the Sydney Cup and she'll go to the paddock and then we'll be looking at the [G1] Livamol Classic and the [G1] Melbourne Cup [in the spring].”
Parkes was complementary of the plucky mare and he said, “It was such a brave effort. I wanted to get handy, but she didn't have the gate speed to get across and I got caught three wide. I thought I would let her roll and she fought so hard to the line.”
Picked up for only NZ$8,000 out of the NZB National Broodmare, Weanling and Mixed Sale, Ladies First's career hit a new high at the end of last season, as she signed off with wins in the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup at Awapuni on May 20 and in Wanganui's Listed Wanganui Cup over 2040 metres on June 3. Back in the winner's circle three starts later in a Te Rapa handicap on Feb. 6, the bay was second to Kaharau (Aus) (Ad Valorem) in a 2400-metre handicap at this venue on Feb. 17 and was last seen saluting in another handicap here on Mar. 3.
Pedigree Notes…
Ladies First is the ninth Group 1 winner for her well-traveled sire Dylan Thomas (Ire) and second in the Southern Hemisphere following G1 Clasico Las Oaks victress Penn Rose (Chi). She is out of G3 Kingston Town S. heroine Just Polite (Aus), who is a half-sister to G1 VRC Oaks third Savsbelle (Aus) (Savabeel {Aus}). Just Polite's latest offspring are a 4-year-old filly named The Second Lady (NZ) (Cape Blanco {Ire}) and a 3-year-old gelding Patriot Eclipse (NZ), also by Cape Blanco. Gal in a Ruckus (Bold Ruckus), winner of the GI Kentucky Oaks, is under the fourth dam, the winning Quillopoly (Princequillo {GB}). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Ellerslie, New Zealand
BARFOOT & THOMPSON AUCKLAND CUP-G1, NZ$482,000 (US$351,053/£253,482/€285,249), ARC, 3-10, 3yo/up, Open Set Weight, 3200mT, 3:22.17, gd.
1–LADIES FIRST, 54.0, m, 5, by Dylan Thomas (Ire)
1st Dam: Just Polite (Aus) (GSW-Aus, 131,368), by Dehere (USA)
2nd Dam: Polly's Pocket (USA), by Pirate's Bounty (USA)
3rd Dam: Just Plain Polly (USA), by Truxton King (USA)
*FIRST GROUP WIN. FIRST GROUP 1 WIN. (NZ$17,500 RNA
Ylg '14 NZBSEL; NZ$8,000 Ylg '14 NZBNAT). O-F J & H T
O'Leary; B-Go Bloodstock New Zealand Ltd, Waikato, (NZ); T-S
A Sharrock; J-J Parkes; NZ$300,000. Lifetime Record: 16-9-2-1,
NZ$480,760. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Five to Midnight, 56.5, g, 5, Domesday (Aus)–Fastnet Lady
(Aus), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). (NZ$165,000 Ylg 2014 NZB
National Yearling Sale). O-Kamada Racing; B-The Oaks Stud,
Waikato, (NZ); T-Ms L Latta; J-O P Bosson; NZ$87,500.
3–Wildflower, 53.5, m, 5, Keeper (Aus)–Zygadene, by Zabeel.
O-Sir Peter Vela; B-P J & P M Vela Ltd, Waikato, (NZ); T-G
Richardson & G Parker; J-M J Mc Nab; NZ$42,500.
Margins: NO, HD, HF. Odds: 5.20, 7.70, 10.50.
Also Ran: Alinko Prince, Zacada, Charles Road (Aus), Here He Comes, Excalibur, Magic Chai (Aus), Show the World, Sampson, Diesel, Araldo Junior (Ger), Von Tunzelman, Smedley, Kaharau (Aus), Toni May.
Click for the Racing Post chart. NZ Racing Video.
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