Three wins, three countries, one weekend
The past weekend provided a perfect microcosm for Go Racing, as the New Zealand-based global racehorse syndicators celebrated three wins across three countries.
Exciting two-year-old Benjamin Hornigold got the weekend off to a winning start on Friday.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained colt claimed the UK’s richest maiden race, the £100,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes (7f) at the York Ebor Festival in England, on debut in exciting fashion.
“He had a really nice debut,” O’Brien said. “He had a lovely ride from Colin (Keane), he relaxed well and he finished of the race very strongly.
“He looks to be an exciting colt for the future.”
That future could well include black-type success with his next start scheduled to be in the Gr.2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket on September 26.
Closer to home on Saturday, the Kylie Hoskin-trained With Grace posted back-to-back wins, taking out the $40,000 Ocean Park 2400, at Te Rapa in New Zealand, signalling bigger races in her future too.
“It was a really exciting win, particularly over the distance,” Hoskin said. “It opens up a whole lot of doors for her. When they can genuinely stay like that it opens all those cup options.”
Now the winner of three races for the Go Racing Double Parked Syndicate, the progressive six-year-old mare is on the path to the Gr.3 Martin Collins 163rd New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton Park on November 14.
Appropriately, it was Cigar Man who rounded out the weekend for Go Racing, with a brave win in the A$22,500 Happy 80thBirthday Colin Chesher (2160m) at Toowoomba in Australia on Saturday night.
“When I let him down he picked up nicely and he was actually quite tough today,” Jockey Aidan Keely said.
The Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained five-year-old carried the top weight of 60kgs to claim his third career win.
The weekend’s trio of wins further exemplified the success of Go Racing’s global approach to racehorse ownership.
“We have a great network of top trainers across these jurisdictions which allow us to provide our owners with unique opportunities to race horses in the UK and Europe, Australia and here in New Zealand,” Go Racing’s Albert Bosma said.
“We’ve had great success buying young horses in Europe to target their black-type races as two and three-years-old, before joining champion trainer Chris Waller in Australia.
“Next month, Joseph will bring one of those horses, Omni Man to Australia for the Caulfield Cup before transferring to Chris.
“It gives our syndicate members the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds and enjoy these race meetings and major racing festivals around the globe as owners.”