There was a distinct New Zealand flavour to the final race on Saturday’s Rosehill card, where Cloudland (NZ) (Swiss Ace) headed a Kiwi-bred trifecta in the A$200,000 Petaluma Handicap (1200m).
The Kris Lees-trained Cloudland had won a Benchmark 88 race over the same course and distance two starts earlier on July 5, then finished seventh under 59.5kg in a similar event over 1300m on July 19.
The seven-year-old stepped up into Benchmark 94 company on Saturday and dropped back to 56.5kg, and he showed real fight to edge out fellow New Zealand-breds Lord Penman (NZ) (Contributer) and Bunker Hut (NZ) (Savabeel) in an exciting three-way finish.
Cloudland was ridden by Dylan Gibbons and broke sharply from the outside gate of the eight-horse field. He then took up a handy position in second on the outside of the front-running Perfumist.
Gibbons pushed the button in the straight and Cloudland bounded into a clear lead. Bunker Hut kicked through on his inside to quickly lodge a challenge, while Lord Penman weaved his way through the pack in behind them.
Cloudland found himself under siege on both sides in the last 75m from Bunker Hut and Lord Penman, but he rose to the challenge and held on grimly to win by a neck. Lord Penman took second place by the same margin over Bunker Hut.
“Super win,” Gibbons said. “He’s a horse that loves a fight and he fought hard today.
“He appreciates these wet tracks, so while every they hang around, he’s running well.”
Cloudland has now had 25 starts for eight wins, eight placings and A$544,725 in stakes for his OTI Racing ownership group.
The Gerry Harvey-bred Cloudland was purchased by OTI Racing after winning a trial on the all-weather track at Cambridge for trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray.
He is by Swiss Ace out of the stakes-performed Congrats mare Commiserate, who is from the family of the Group Two winners Sarson Trail (Royal Academy), Arinosa (Dash For Cash), Sweet Sherry (NZ) (Westminster) and her daughter Eneeza (Exceed and Excel).
The formerly New Zealand-trained Lord Penman also made a favourable impression with a strong-finishing second in his Australian debut.
“He ran well, really well,” jockey Kerrin McEvoy said. “He loomed and then floated a bit, but he’s going to enjoy going 1400m. More to come from him.”
Lord Penman is raced by Go Racing and won four of his seven starts from the Stephen Marsh stable last season under his previous name of Penman. He also finished an unlucky ninth in the NZB Kiwi (1500m).
