The Group 1 win by A Touch of Ruby in Saturday’s Thorndon Mile at Trentham was a fine finale to the racing career of the Australian-owned Pins mare
The mare, trained by Stephen Autridge for Sydney owner Max Whitby, was having her last start as she is carrying a foal by freshman sire Jimmy Choux.
She also has a half-sister by Savabeel from Syrah entered in this week’s Karaka Premier Sale from Trelawney Stud.
“She’s in foal to Jimmy Choux and we thought if she ran in the first four it would make her worth a lot more money,” Autridge said. “It’s what everyone dreams of and it doesn’t often happen so it’s fantastic.”
Whitby, a strong supporter of New Zealand racing and a vendor at Karaka this week, has previously enjoyed great success with the like of dual G1 winner Scarlett Lady and as a partner in Cox Plate winner Savabeel.
Ironically A Touch Of Ruby beat the Savabeel mare Costume into second place completing a Thorndon Mile quinella for Waikato Stud stallions.
Whitby purchased A Touch Of Ruby (Pins x Syrah by Traditionally) at the 2011 Karaka National Sale for $50,000 from Trelawney Stud and retires as the winner of four races from 16 starts and earnings of #161,335.
She won the Avondale Classic at Pukekohe Park at her second start as a two-year-old and this season had won at Matamata in November and tuned up for the Thorndon Mile with a win at Pukekohe last week. The Thorndon Mile was only her third try in stakes company.
A Touch of Ruby is the only foal to race out of her dam Syrah, a daughter of G2 winner Real Success (Success Express) and a half-sister to G1 Queensland Oaks winner Vouvray (Zabeel) and Listed winer Boulton (Zabeel).
She becomes the seventh G1 winner for her sire Pins among his 55 individual stakes winners.
Pins has 39 yearlings catalogued for the Karaka sales series including 31 in the Premier Session..
Runner-up Costume is a half-sister to the Listed Soliloquy Stakes winner Masquerade (No Excuse Needed) with their dam being the O’Reilly mare Disguised.
Waikato Stud will offer a Pins filly out of Disguised during the Premier Sale at Karaka this week.
