Sacred Elixir (outside) narrowly defeats fellow Karaka Million rival The Soultaker
Photo: Trish Dunell
Wentwood Grange's Hawkins family could be poised for an eventful Karaka Million night at Ellerslie on Sunday.
The Cambridge nursery has produced two runners for the $1 million NZB Karaka Million (1200m) for two-year-olds - $170,000 Pour Moi gelding Sacred Elixir and $100,000 Sebring gelding Majestic Champion, both sold through last season's Premier sale.
The Tony Pike-trained last-start Ellerslie winner Sacred Elixir, to be ridden by Leith Innes, is currently the TAB's $7 fourth favourite, while the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Majestic Champion is rated a $51 outsider.
"It's massive when you compare the number of yearlings our farm puts through to the drafts of some of the bigger farms. To have two runners in the big race is awesome. We're really, really proud of it," Wentwood Grange's Sean Hawkins said.
"Sacred Elixir has done the job superbly to get into the race. He was a big, athletic boy at the sales, very popular and a beautiful mover. He was bought by Raffles Farm and Guy Mulcaster and they seem to be able to do the job. Guy bought Kermadec off us.
"Majestic Champion was a lovely walker, not as big as Sacred Elixir but still very popular. We bought his mum in foal to Sebring at the Gold Coast sale and we've got a cracking Darci Brahma colt out of her at the sales this year. Same sort of yearling but a bit taller and a really early runner."
The Hawkins family's Llanhennock Trust colours could also go around on two runners on the undercard, with Valley Girl set to tackle the Listed NZB Karaka 3yo Mile and Sam's Ready in contention for a special conditions 1600m maiden.
Waikato Stud is the only other yearling sales vendor with multiple runners in the Karaka Million, with Ronda, O'Reilly Cyrus and Glass Slipper bought from its draft at last year's sales.
The Liam Birchley-trained O'Reilly filly O'Reilly Cyrus, to be ridden by Brisbane-based Kiwi jockey Damian Browne, is on the second line of the TAB's fixed-odds market at $6.
She was a $100,000 Premier sale purchase for Birchley, who won the Million in 2010 with Sister Havana and returned last year to repeat the dose with Hardline.
The Mark Forbes-trained O'Reilly filly Ronda, set to have the services of Vinnie Colgan, was a $55,000 Premier sale graduate and sits at $31 on the TAB market, while the Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Pins filly Glass Slipper was an $85,000 Select sale purchase. She is a $26 outsider with Michael Coleman booked to ride.
Auckland trainer Stephen McKee goes into the race two-handed with Per Incanto filly Tennessee, a $13,000 Festival sale purchase from Mapperley Stud, and Iffraaj gelding Xiong Feng, a $30,000 Select sale buy out of the draft of Monovale Farm.
Sam Spratt rides Listed Wellesley Stakes winner Tennessee, quoted at $14, while Danielle Johnson is aboard $10 shot Xiong Feng.
Otaki trainers Johno Benner and Holly Wynyard, the team behind 2014 winner Vespa, will produce Darci Brahma colt Kingsman, an $80,000 Select sale purchase from the Blandford Lodge draft, with Mark Du Plessis set to ride the $18 shot.
Cambridge trainer Craig Thornton will saddle the $2.80 favourite, Manolo Blahniq, a clinical last-start winner of the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
The Jimmy Choux colt was knocked down to Australian trainer Tony Noonan for $115,000 at last year's Select sale from the draft of Curraghmore and has the services of Matt Cameron.
Champion jockey Opie Bosson will be aboard equal $6 second favourite The Soultaker, the Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs-trained winner of the Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes at Avondale. Iffraaj colt The Soultaker was a $50,000 Select sale purchase out of the draft of Waikato's Seaton Park. - NZ Racing Desk
The Cambridge nursery has produced two runners for the $1 million NZB Karaka Million (1200m) for two-year-olds - $170,000 Pour Moi gelding Sacred Elixir and $100,000 Sebring gelding Majestic Champion, both sold through last season's Premier sale.
The Tony Pike-trained last-start Ellerslie winner Sacred Elixir, to be ridden by Leith Innes, is currently the TAB's $7 fourth favourite, while the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Majestic Champion is rated a $51 outsider.
"It's massive when you compare the number of yearlings our farm puts through to the drafts of some of the bigger farms. To have two runners in the big race is awesome. We're really, really proud of it," Wentwood Grange's Sean Hawkins said.
"Sacred Elixir has done the job superbly to get into the race. He was a big, athletic boy at the sales, very popular and a beautiful mover. He was bought by Raffles Farm and Guy Mulcaster and they seem to be able to do the job. Guy bought Kermadec off us.
"Majestic Champion was a lovely walker, not as big as Sacred Elixir but still very popular. We bought his mum in foal to Sebring at the Gold Coast sale and we've got a cracking Darci Brahma colt out of her at the sales this year. Same sort of yearling but a bit taller and a really early runner."
The Hawkins family's Llanhennock Trust colours could also go around on two runners on the undercard, with Valley Girl set to tackle the Listed NZB Karaka 3yo Mile and Sam's Ready in contention for a special conditions 1600m maiden.
Waikato Stud is the only other yearling sales vendor with multiple runners in the Karaka Million, with Ronda, O'Reilly Cyrus and Glass Slipper bought from its draft at last year's sales.
The Liam Birchley-trained O'Reilly filly O'Reilly Cyrus, to be ridden by Brisbane-based Kiwi jockey Damian Browne, is on the second line of the TAB's fixed-odds market at $6.
She was a $100,000 Premier sale purchase for Birchley, who won the Million in 2010 with Sister Havana and returned last year to repeat the dose with Hardline.
The Mark Forbes-trained O'Reilly filly Ronda, set to have the services of Vinnie Colgan, was a $55,000 Premier sale graduate and sits at $31 on the TAB market, while the Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Pins filly Glass Slipper was an $85,000 Select sale purchase. She is a $26 outsider with Michael Coleman booked to ride.
Auckland trainer Stephen McKee goes into the race two-handed with Per Incanto filly Tennessee, a $13,000 Festival sale purchase from Mapperley Stud, and Iffraaj gelding Xiong Feng, a $30,000 Select sale buy out of the draft of Monovale Farm.
Sam Spratt rides Listed Wellesley Stakes winner Tennessee, quoted at $14, while Danielle Johnson is aboard $10 shot Xiong Feng.
Otaki trainers Johno Benner and Holly Wynyard, the team behind 2014 winner Vespa, will produce Darci Brahma colt Kingsman, an $80,000 Select sale purchase from the Blandford Lodge draft, with Mark Du Plessis set to ride the $18 shot.
Cambridge trainer Craig Thornton will saddle the $2.80 favourite, Manolo Blahniq, a clinical last-start winner of the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.
The Jimmy Choux colt was knocked down to Australian trainer Tony Noonan for $115,000 at last year's Select sale from the draft of Curraghmore and has the services of Matt Cameron.
Champion jockey Opie Bosson will be aboard equal $6 second favourite The Soultaker, the Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs-trained winner of the Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes at Avondale. Iffraaj colt The Soultaker was a $50,000 Select sale purchase out of the draft of Waikato's Seaton Park. - NZ Racing Desk