Listed Winners Look Good

The Listed Rotorua Stakes at Arawa Park on May 12 saw Oak Park put her name forward as a filly to watch as won her first black type race.

Trained by Murray Baker, Oak Park (More Than Ready x Dawnie Dancer) kicked inside the final 150 metres to go clear and hold off Zennista (Zenno Rob Roy) and Fleur de Lune (Stravinsky) to win by half-a-head.

Originally second emergency for the race, the daughter of More Than Ready came into the Listed contest after a last start win over 1200m at Ellerslie.

With career figures now reading 12 starts for four wins and four placings, she looks a filly with a bright future as she beat some handy older mares in Saturday's race.

The filly's only other tilt at stakes level was in the G3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), the well-contested seventh leg of New Zealand Bloodstock's Filly of the Year Series. She was unplaced after receiving no luck, being forced to race fifth three wide with no cover.

Bred by Dr Alan Bray, Oak Park was offered by Westbury Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock's 2010 Karaka Premier Sale. She was later offered by Mana Park at the 2010 Ready to Run Sale.

The lightly raced mare Bonnie Mac (Thorn Park x Gold Class) is another that looks an up and coming talent for trainer Michael Moroney as she took her fifth race win, and her first black type victory, at Morphettville in Adelaide in the Listed Proud Miss Stakes (1200m).

Now a winner of five of her six starts, the daughter of Thorn Park did not race until the beginning of the season where she ran fifth on debut as a four-year-old at Matamata. She then took back-to-back wins at Matamata and Trentham before she was given a break and taken to Australia.

Winning fresh up at Ballarat, she took her first Australian metropolitan win at Caulfield in late April before winning Saturday's Listed assignment. Bonnie Mac has the ability to produce fast sectionals with her last two races seeing her run 34.64 seconds and 34.85 seconds for the final 600 metres.

Bred by Goldbro Services Pty Ltd, Bonnie Mac was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock from Wentwood Grange at New Zealand Bloodstock's 2009 Karaka Select Sale for $90,000.

The half-brother to Bonnie Mac by Darci Brahma was purchased by NZB as Agent for Hong Kong buyers at the Karaka Premier Sale this year for $150,000.

Bonnie Mac is the 15th stakes winner for her sire Thorn Park. New Zealand's reigning champion sire.


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