Three horses carrying the NZ suffix saluted at Randwick on Saturday.
First to score was Room Number (NZ) (Reliable Man) who had punters looking for the exit door when leading home a New Zealand-bred trifecta at massive odds in the City Tattersalls Group Handicap (1600m).
The $71 outsider, trained by Barbara Joseph, Matt and Paul Jones, caused a boilover when overhauling the well-fancied And We Danced (NZ) (Wrote) ($3.20 fav) with fellow kiwi-bred Fleetwood Maca (NZ) (Rock ‘N’ Pop) in third.
The shock result thrust jockey Quayde Krogh into the limelight as he claimed a rare Saturday Sydney winner.
“She has been working well all week and had an exceptional run last week in Canberra,” Krogh said.
“She has thrived off the confidence of that win. I’ve had four rides on her now for three wins.
“The work during the week, all she needed was the right run and she got that today.”
Room Number was having her 12th run this time in but continues to race consistently deep into her preparation.
The daughter of Reliable Man was placed in a Highway event three starts back before breaking through for a maiden city victory on the weekend.
“She has always been a mare with plenty of ability but she just lost her way a bit,” Barbara Joseph said of her $35,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run 2YO Sale purchase.
“She has come back in and is racing well.
“I needed to give her another run before taking her to the Bega Carnival and we will have to run her in the Bega Cup (next Sunday at the Sapphire Coast) now off that.”
Two races later Toomuchtobear (NZ) (Press Statement) flashed home late to take out the Precise Air Handicap (2000m) by a nose.
Charlie Duckworth, representing the Chris Waller stable, admitted to a few anxious moments in the straight and said he wasn’t sure whether the favourite had arrived in time.
“A $1.80 pop, you expect them to win a little easier than that,” Duckworth said.
“The stablemate (Desert Icon) was very tough and was ridden a little bit further forward than what we had initially planned. It made it a stamina test and that made it a little bit trickier for the favourite than we anticipated.”
Duckworth was unsure of exact plans for Toomuchtobear but expects the four-year-old, who has now won half of his 10 starts, to be given an opportunity in stakes grade sooner rather than later.
Ridden by Jason Collett, Toomuchtobear indicated he might be looking for further than the 2000m of Saturday’s race.
“He has been pretty raw throughout but based on that and how long he took to pick up, I would imagine Jase would be saying he wants even further,” Duckworth said.
“I don’t know exactly what the boss man (Waller) has in store for him, but he is definitely above Saturday grade.”
Carlaw Park pinhooked Toomuchtobear as a weanling at the Karaka May Sale and when he returned to the New Zealand Bloodstock auction ring in their 2019 Book 1 draft he was knocked down to Waller and Guy Mulcaster for $120,000.
Rounding out the trio was Shadow Crush (NZ) (Per Incanto) who bounced back into form to win the Acy Securities Handicap (1100m).
The Mark Newnham-trained five-year-old benefited from a patient ride from Tom Sherry and stormed home from the rear of the field to win uncontested by 1.47L.
“He put his best foot forward today,” stable representative Robyn Fowler said. “He sat behind and got a nice cut into it. It was great.”
Shadow Crush now has six wins to his credit, two placings and over A$238,000 in stakes.
Bred by Bloomsbury Stud, he was purchased as a weanling by Woburn Farm as a pinhook prospect out of Brighthill Farm’s 2017 Karaka May Sale draft.
