3 minute read
Snitzel's son Armoury, who is out of Katie Lee, also wins jump-out
Windsor Park Stud stallion Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) recorded his first trial victory as a sire when his unnamed two-year-old gelding, out of Group 3 performer Angel del Dinero (My Halo), won an 800 metre heat at Taupo on Tuesday.
The gelding raced in second for most of the contest and after racing keenly round the bend, showed maturity beyond his years to scamper away to beat a filly by Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry), who showed a good attitude to finish a head further adrift in second. The gelding stopped the clock at 47.34 seconds.
Trainers David and Emma-Lee Browne were pleased with his first hit-out on the track and said he will take a lot of benefit from the day out.
"We were really happy with him," Emma-Lee Browne said. "He has always shown a bit at home, but it was his first time away from the farm so you never know how it is going to go.
"He is still pretty green, but he will learn a lot from today.
"Right from the breaking-in stage we were fairly happy with him. He is a big, strong horse, but is quite natural. It was good to see him out there doing it."
Purchased by Sparta Bloodstock for NZ$40,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale in January, the gelding is out of Group 3-placed My Halo (Southern Halo) mare Angel del Dinero and is from the family as Group 1 winner Savvy Coup (Savabeel) and Group 3-winning duo No Excuse Maggie (No Excuse Needed) and Battle Hero (Stratum).
"I really liked him at the pre-parade at Windsor Park," Browne said. "I wasn't intending on buying one to syndicate this year but he just kept catching my eye."
"Today he went well, but we will see how he pulls up," she said. "He is a really relaxed horse, he doesn't get worried about much. He is pretty cruisy and that is what you like to see in a two-year-old.
"He will tell us as we go along but it is a pretty good start for him."
The son of Iffraaj (Zafonic) is standing at Windsor Park at a fee of NZ$10,000 (plus GST).
In the first juvenile trial conducted of the morning, the well-bred Armoury - who is a son of Arrowfield Stud's champion sire Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) and Katie Lee (Pins) - won his 800 metre trial.
The Jamie Richards-trained colt was quick out of the barriers and raced freely on the fence, before eventually pulling away to an easy victory, hitting the line strongly a length and a quarter ahead of Sanctify Yourself (Turn Me Loose), in a time of 48.81 seconds.
Purchased by Te Akau's David Ellis for NZ$375,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale, the colt is out of the aforementioned Pins (Snippets) mare Katie Lee, who completed the rare feat in 2009 when taking out the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) before following up seven days later in the fillies equivalent and she has produced two winners to date.
Katie Lee herself is out of Group 3 scorer Miss Jessie Jay (Spectacularphantom), making her a half-sister to fellow Group 1 winner Banchee (Oratorio).
Miss Jessie Jay herself is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Gee I Jane (Jahafil) and the dams of Group 3 winner San Bernardino (Gold Mine) and Listed scorer Qiji Express (Shamexpress).
