Flying Spur’s dual Group One winner Sacred Star returned to winning form for the Tony Pike stable in the G3 Darley Plate at Ellerslie on Saturday.
It was his first win since last year’s G1 success in the NRM Sprint at Te Rapa and among six stakes wins on the day in Australia and New Zealand for Magic Millions graduates.
A $90,000 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale purchase in 2010 for Kulani Park, Sacred Star is now the winner of nine races - four of them at Group level.Sacred Star was later purchased as a yearling for $200,000 by Guy Mulcaster for Raffles Racing.
A son of Flying Spur and the stakes performed O'Reilly mare Irish Nova, Sacred Star has earned his connections about $700,000 to date. He has yearling half-brother by Stratum.• DARCI BRAHMA filly Honor That became the 26th stakes winner and completed a black type double for her sire when she won the Listed Breeders Stakes at Wingatui.
Darci Brahma’s other stakes winner on Saturday was the 3YO filly No More Tears (Darci Brahma x Ocean Of Tears by Minardi) in the G3 Mr Tiz Stakes at Ellerslie.No More Tears has booked a trip to Sydney for the G3 PJ Bell Stakes at Randwick on 2 April.
• MASTERCRAFTSMAN filly Mime recorded her second consecutive stakes victory by winning the G3 Sunline Vase at Ellerslie to remain on target for the G1 New Zealand Oaks on March 19.The filly now heads the table for the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly Of The Year table with Sofia Rosa on 14 points.
The New Zealand Oaks is the final race of the series. NZB 1000 Guineas winner Risque (Darci Brahma) has 12 points but is now racing in Australia.Sofia Rosa (Makfi) went to the top of Filly of the Year series when she won the G3 Lowland Stakes at Hastings last Wednesday, becoming the first filly to win two races in this season’s series.
The Lowland Stakes win was Sofia Rosa’s fourth from eight starts. The daughter of the Encosta De Lago mare Bislieri was bred by Gerry Harvey and was sold by Westbury Stud at the 2014 Select Sale at Karaka for $65,000 to Bruce Perry Bloodstock.A full-sister was offered at this year’s Premier Sale at Karaka and was sold to David Ellis for $200,000.
