Callsign Mav produces boilover in Tarzino Trophy
The ill-fated Atlante (Fastnet Rock) sired his first Group 1 winner as his son Callsign Mav (4 g ex Raadisi by Volksraad) produced a massive upset in the Tarzino Trophy (Gr 1, 1400m) at Hastings on Saturday.
The John Bary-trained gelding proved out of his depth at Group 1 level as a three-year-old, having run seventh in the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and sixth in the Levin Classic (Gr 1, 1600m), but he seemed to take Saturday’s test in his stride, surging clear to beat Supera (Savabeel) by three-quarters of a length. Multiple Group 1 winner Avantage (Fastnet Rock) - who was sent off pre-race favourite - was another nose away in third.
“I had a bit of confidence that he’d run well today,” Bary said. “His jump-outs had been good and his trial was great. We’d just been behind the scenes, attracting no attention with the likes of Avantage and others in the field. It’s been nice just to row our own canoe, and a big thank you to the staff. This is all down to them, they’ve done a hell of a good job. They put in all those long, hard days, so I’m thrilled for them.
“It was a ten-out-of-ten ride from Jonathan [Riddell]. He slid forward from a nice gate, got in the trail beautifully and put the horse to sleep. Then he produced him at the right time and he kicked away really well. In those last 50 metres, I was right there on the horse’s back with him.
“It’s a great result. It’s one thing to race well against your own age group at three, but you always wonder whether you’ll be able to come out and do it again at four against those bigger, hardened criminals. He’s done it today.”
Bary was unwilling to commit to a start in the Windsor Park Plate (Gr 1, 1600m) on October 3.
“The problem with that is that he’s never seen out a mile before,” he said. “He couldn’t do it in the 2,000 Guineas last year, or the Levin Classic at Trentham. But he loves Hawke’s Bay, with six starts there now for four wins and a second to Catalyst. And after he won a 1400-metre race here in February, Craig Grylls said he thought he could have run a mile that day. So we’ll see.”
Purchased by E L Holmes for NZ$3,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Sale, the gelding is out of three time-winning mare Raadisi (Volksraad), making him a half-brother to two winners.
Raadisi herself is a half-sister to 2011 New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner The Party Stand (Thorn Park).
Atlante has sired three stakes winners in total and died in 2016 after covering only two books of mares at Mapperley Stud in New Zealand.
