Third Group One Winner For Per Incanto

The 6YO gelding Shadows Cast became the third Group One winner for rising New Zealand sire Per Incanto when he won the time-honoured Thorndon Mile at Trentham on Saturday.

Shadows Cast (Per Incanto x Ages Past by Slavic), who was passed with a $10,000 reserve at the 2014 NZB South Island Sale, boosted his career earnings to $423,202, more than 42 times his reserve at the South Island Sale.

Ridden by Jason Waddell for trainer Mark Oulaghan and popular Wellington owner Ron Cunningham, Shadows Cast drove clear at the top of the straight and bravely withstood the late run of Wyndspelle (Iffraaj) to score by a neck.

“I always thought he was up to winning a Group One,” Oulaghan said. “He was a little bit erratic earlier on, but with a little bit of time he has really grown up and come to it as a racehorse.”

Shadows Cast has now won 10 of his 33 starts with Saturday’s G1 win sitting alongside his G2 victories in the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile and Manawatu Challenge Stakes.

Shadows Cast joins Signify (Perfectly Ready), who won the Telegraph in 2017, as G1-winning graduates of the South Island Sale in recent seasons.

Per Incanto, a son of Street Cry, stands at Little Avondale Stud for a fee of $NZ15,000 plus GST in 2018.

He is also the sire Santa Monica, winner of the G1 Railway Stakes at Ellerslie earlier in the month.

Shadow’s Cast is out of the Slavic mare Ages Past, the dam of one other winner and a sister to the dual Listed winner Rat Tat who won 13 races.

Ages Past is also a half-sister to Scan Bold, a five-time winner who was placed in the Listed Macau Sprint Trophy.

Per Incanto has 16 yearlings in the Book 1 catalogue at next week’s Karaka National Yearling Sale including eight consigned by Little Avondale Stud.

• Montjeu’s son Gorky Park was handed his first stakes winner on Saturday when the 5YO gelding Gorbachev won the G3 Wellington Cup at Trentham.

Gorbachev (Gorky Park x Gimmeawink by Carnegie) collared Dee And Gee (Darci Brahma) on the line with Prince Jabeel (Savabeel) third.

The win was a career highlight for trainer Bryce Newman.

"This is definitely a highlight as I don't train many. I only have two or three in work,” he said.

• The Lance Robinson-trained Air Max flashed home late to score an upset win in the Listed Gore Guineas on Saturday to become the 16th stakes winner for his sire Nadeem.

The gelding, a half brother to the classy Boots ‘N’ All, got the better of the filly Dreamtesta (Testa Rossa) with Weaponry (Declaration Of War) third.

Air Max (Nadeem x Steel Stilettos by Hussonet) was offered at the South Island Sale and like Boots ’N’ All he was passed in. He was retained by his breeders Cheryl Wilson and Bruce Sheat and now races for a large syndicate.

After two seconds, a fourth and a sixth in his first four starts, Saturday’s Gore Guineas was his breakthrough performance.

He has now earned $39,350 in prizemoney, almost double his $20,000 reserve at the 2017 South Island Sale.

A half-brother to Air Max and Boots ’N’ All by Super Easy will be offered during the upcoming Karaka 2019 National Yearling Sale by Long Acres Stud.