Another Ellerslie Win For Volpe Veloce

Top class Foxwedge mare Volpe Veloce underlined her love affair with Ellerslie when she claimed her fifth victory from six starts at the venue in the G2 Westbury Classic on Saturday.

The Graham Richardson and Gavin Parker-trained 5YO’s affinity with Ellerslie began as a 3YO when she won the G2 Eight Carat Classic and Listed Karaka 3YO Mile (now the Karaka Million Classic) in 2017.

She went on to capture the G1 Sistema Railway in 2018 and tried bravely to defend that title when fourth in the 2019 edition earlier this month.

Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge x Bardego by Barathea) was lauded by Parker as a great trier in her races.

“She’s tough and she always fights hard. Since the Railway she has just gone to another level." Parker said.

“We’re always proud of her, she’s the best horse I’ve trained.”

Parker said the mare would now be set for the G1 BCD Group Sprint at Te Rapa on February 9.

Volpe Veloce sat back near the tail of the field and came home hard to pull back Sleeping Beauty (Rip Van Winkle) on the line, scoring by a head.

Volpe Veloce has now had 21 starts for 11 wins, two placings and $566,500 in prizemoney – more than double her $NZ240,000 purchase price at the 2015 Karaka Premier Sale where she was purchased from the Lyndhurst Farm draft by Graeme Richardson Racing.

Tough Domesday gelding Five To Midnight carried a testing topweight of 60kg to win Saturday’s Karaka Cup at Ellerslie.

Bought for $165,000 at the 2014 Select Sale at Karaka, the stayer has amassed more than $500,000 in prize-money with three stakes wins and another 12 placings at black type level including a close second in last year’s G1 Auckland Cup.

Trainer Lisa Latta was full of admiration for her standout stayer.

“He’s such a tough horse,” said the Awapuni trainer.

“We freshened him up for this – he seems to really thrive with short breaks in the paddock.”

Five To Midnight (Domesday x Fastnet Lady by Fastnet Rock) has now had 41 starts for nine wins, 14 placings and $577,490 in prizemoney for owners Kamada Racing.

Runner-up Mongolian Marshal cost $220,000 at the 2016 Premier Sale and has earned $239,625 with five wins from 15 starts. Third-placed Sacred Day (Azamour) cost $90,000 at the 2016 Select Sale and has earned $50,150 in his short career to date.

Saturday’s Listed John Dillon Stakes at Caulfield resulted in Karaka quinella when Rock ‘n’ Gold (Rock Of Gibraltar) beat Manolo Blahniq (Jimmy Choux).

Manolo Blahniq had won the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington and was the favourite to deliver a repeat result.

However the 8YO Rock ‘n’ Gold (Rock Of Gibraltar x Goldberg by Geiger Counter) speared to the front and kept running to win by two lengths.

Trained by Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra for a big group of owners, the eight-year-old has now had 53 starts for nine wins, 19 placings and $596,200 in prizemoney – more than 10 times his $NZ55,000 purchase price at the 2012 Ready to Run Sale.

Manolo Blahniq, who was a $NZ115,000 purchase at the 2015 Select Sale, has now had 25 starts for four wins, seven placings and $387,334 in stakes.