Go Racing and Thoroughbred News
Go Racing breaks through $6 Million mark
Go Racing passed the $6 Million prize money mark for their owners when German born QUALITY TIME saluted the judge in the Bream Bay Cup at Ruakaka on the 8th of June, capping a remarkable season for New Zealand’s leading Independent Syndicator.
“It has been a wonderful season for owners” says Go Racing Director Albert Bosma. “We have won Group 1 races in New Zealand with VELOCIOUS, Australia with ATISHU and had stakes performers in Ireland, France and England. Just last week Je Zous ran a hard finishing 5th in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot. We were the only New Zealand representation at Royal Ascot and it was puzzling this got so little press coverage here. I think what we have achieved is unique as I don’t believe any New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing operation has had stakes performers in 5 different countries in a season before.”
“A massive thanks go to our staff who work incredibly hard for our owners and are passionate about looking after them and achieving the success they have had.
We are a boutique operation and don’t have the numbers of the big stables in New Zealand, however what we do have is the ability to place horses globally for owners and change tack when it is best for the horse, not just following the same traditional lines or keeping them in the same stable. That is huge to the success and options for individual horses. QUALITY TIME is a great example of that, He started in Germany, we moved him to Australia and now have him with Kylie Hoskin in New Zealand. He is approaching $500,000 in stake money and can go well beyond that.
I read on the NZTR website that Te Akau spent $22 Million in the first six-months of this year to buy 60 yearlings, which of course doesn’t count the yearlings they are given to train. Last year we bought 11 total, including Karaka Million winner VELOCIOUS – we are boutique and targeted compared to these mammoth racing operations.”
Newly appointed General Manager Matt Allnutt was thrilled with his first season in the role “The thing I am most proud of is our relationship with owners, who stay with us for many years. We had 12 owners fly up to Royal Ascot last week to support their horse – the second time in two years we have had a runner at Royal Ascot and creating events like this for them is very special”.
Looking forward to the coming season, Allnutt is bullish. “I believe we have bought well in New Zealand, Australia and Europe this year in what has been a patchy market. ‘We want to improve on our record breaking season and would like to have stakes-horses in more than 5 countries this coming season. I think we have the firepower to do that.”
Go Racing return to Royal Ascot
For the second year in a row New Zealand based syndicators Go Racing will have a runner at the famed Royal Ascot meeting.
Zoustar filly Je Zous, trained by Joseph O’Brien, will tackle the £250,000 (NZ$520,000) Gr.2 Ribblesdale stakes (2400m) for three-year-old fillies this Thursday.
A winner and stakes-placed as a two-year-old at Newmarket, she has returned at three to run third in the Gr.3 Prix Penelope (2100m) in France before finishing third again in the Gr.3 Jannah Rose Stakes in Ireland.
She goes into Thursday’s race third up for the season with final fields declared on Tuesday.
“It may seem odd to run a Zoustar filly over 2400m, but she is actually bred for it and we bought her to be a stayer,” Go Racing’s Albert Bosma said.
“She is out of a Dylan Thomas mare and has a stakes-winning half-sister that won up to 2800m, so she has turned out to be exactly what her pedigree said she would be.
“She has only had five starts, so is lightly raced and goes into Thursday on the up. She was ridden on speed and taken on last start so we may ride her with cover on Thursday and conserve her energy.”
Bosma said having horses at Royal Ascot was part of a programme they commenced two years ago and was pleased to see it come to fruition.
“This is the greatest racing carnival in the world,” he said. “We wanted to give owners the opportunity to be part of that, as it is a bucket-list experience. We work with Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock to select the horses as un-raced two-year-olds and with Joseph O’Brien on board to train them, it is great team.
“The horses have their two and three-year-old seasons in Europe and then head down to Australia as late three-year-olds to be trained by Chris Waller. That is where Je Zous will head after this Northern summer.”
