Well-related stayer Notabadspillane (NZ) (Time Test) has a prestigious Cups target in his sights after a comprehensive victory in the Inspire Racing St John’s Old Boys Syndicate (2100m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The Shaun Phelan-prepared galloper had been a comfortable winner over a similar distance at the course a fortnight ago, and with regular rider Elen Nicholas in the saddle, he started favourite for the $65,000 contest ahead of Tisse and Tregor.
Nicholas showed intent early from the gate, pressing forward to lead early before allowing Talentoso to cross over and set the tempo. The big-striding Notabadspillane was in a beautiful rhythm along the back and cruised up to lead on the corner, giving his rivals something to chase in the straight
Tisse got out into the clear and set out after Notabadspillane at the 350m, but he was off and gone, powering through the line to score by 2 – ½ lengths, with Tisse game in defeat ahead of Prisca and Boxmoss.
It was close to the complete performance from Notabadspillane, who had proven a difficult ride over the longer trips early in his career.
“He’s over-raced a lot, right through his whole life pretty much, so we’ve been riding him back to try and get him to settle,” Nicholas said. “He’s just matured so much now that you can put him in the race and he does switch off, then you ask him to go, and he’s got plenty.
“I was happy not to lead but I wanted to be up handy, I had an opportunity to sit outside the leader instead of sitting behind him so I opted to do that and he did it easily.
“He stays all day this horse, I think he’s pretty smart.”
Phelan and Nicholas are eyeing the Gr.3 162nd New Zealand Cup (3200m) with Notabadspillane, and will give him every opportunity to get to the $450,000 feature at Riccarton on November 15.
“He’s pretty airborne at the moment this horse, and to be fair, the jockey is too,” Phelan said. “It was a beautiful ride from the draw.
“Six months ago, if you lit him up early, he lost it at the end of the race. Now he’s so much more tractable, hopefully we’ve got a big Cup race in us somewhere. There’s one down south if we could get down there alright, but if not, there’s plenty around here and he loves Te Rapa.
“We’ll probably stick to Te Rapa and see if we can get to the big one, if he goes well here we can keep him at home then fly down if we’re good enough. He’ll want a better track, he’s got a big stride which probably tells you the track isn’t too bad out there.
“But, he was probably the best horse in the race and won it well.”
A son of Time Test, Notabadspillane was secured for $50,000 by Phelan out of breeder Ardsley Stud’s draft at the Karaka Yearling Sales in 2022, and just over a year later, his half-sister Pennyweka won the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m).
Their dam Threepence was unraced, but is a half-sister to Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Titch and stakes performers Soph, The Mayor and Streets Away.
The five-year-old is fashioning a smart record of his own, recording three wins and six placings from just 15 starts, accumulating over $113,000 in stakes for connections.
“It is a pretty special win for us because myself and Elen picked this horse out of the yearling sales and Chris (Faulkner) and Hugh (Chapman) came in,” Phelan said.
“They’ve been very patient and it’s finally paying off.”
