Locals dominated the ITM/GIB Winter Championship Finals at Ruakaka in 2023 and 2024, but the tide turned in Saturday’s 2025 edition with Matamata and Cambridge scoring two wins each in the $60,000 features.
Age-group honours went to the Tony Pike-trained Boombox (NZ) (Spirit of Boom) in the 2YO Final and Ken and Bev Kelso’s Levakia (NZ) (Priosir) in the 3YO Final. Later in the card, Mark Brosnan and Andrew Forsman took centre stage with outstanding performances by four-year-olds Sterling Express (NZ) (Shamexpress) and Pacifico (NZ) (Ardrossan) in the two open handicaps.
Sterling Express set himself up for a potential Group One tilt in the spring with his hard-fought victory for Brosnan in Saturday’s ITM/GIB Sprinters’ Championship Final (1400m).
The son of Shamexpress settled fourth-last before swooping into contention out wide around the home turn. He was made to work hard down the Ruakaka straight, with Stonybreck (Tavistock), Illicit Dreams (NZ) (Vancouver) and Tide And Time (NZ) (Time Test) all throwing everything they had at him along his inside, but Sterling Express held that trio at bay and won by a neck.
It was the seventh win of an 18-start career for Sterling Express, and a pleasing return to form after finishing at the tail of the field at Ellerslie in his previous appearance on June 7.
“That was good to see,” said Brosnan, whose Ruakaka raids from his Matamata base have produced 23 wins from just 142 starters.
“I still don’t know what went wrong last time, but that was a good effort today. I might freshen him up now and set him for some better races in the spring, maybe even something like the Tarzino (Gr.1, 1400m). He needs a little bit of cut out of the ground, but doesn’t like it too wet, so hopefully he’ll get conditions to suit.”
The ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup Stayers’ Final was won in bold front-running style by the Forsman-trained Pacifico, who was backing up and stepping up in distance after winning a 1600m Rating 75 at Tauranga seven days earlier.
The Ardrossan gelding was ridden by Michael McNab, who dictated terms before upping the ante down the side of the track. He pinched a break on the field and never let them reel him in, going on to beat gallant local Bosch by a length and a half. There was a four-length margin back to Texas in third.
“That was a very good effort,” McNab said. “I’ve seen a bit of this horse but hadn’t had a lot of experience riding him. I got some great instructions from Andrew Forsman and that was the key to winning the race. He went along nicely out in front, picked up well and then fought hard in the straight. He’s a nice stayer on the rise.”
Pacifico is raced by his breeders Jomara Bloodstock and has now had 19 starts for five wins, seven placings and $149,165 in stakes.