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Apprentice notches another significant victory

Racha Cuneen’s stellar season continued at Trentham where he doubled his Group One tally with a boil over success aboard Signify.

Signify winning the J R & N Berkett Telegraph
Signify winning the J R & N Berkett Telegraph Picture: Trish Dunell

The 25-year-old, who opened his top-flight account in the spring aboard the star filly La Diosa in the NZ 1000 Guineas, guided the 45-1 shot to a narrow victory in Saturday’s J. R. & N. Berkett Telegraph.

“It’s amazing and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity, I’m glad I got the job done,” said Cuneen, who is apprenticed to Neill Ridley.

Signify came with a powerful late finish from the back to narrowly deny the Gr.1 Railway Stakes winner Start Wondering a notable double. The well-supported Perfect Fit finished third ahead of the dead-heaters Reilly Lincoln and Lady Zafira.

“I was travelling really well and I waited for as long as I could and then asked the horse to go and he got there,” Cuneen said.

Despite the closeness of the finish, he believed he had got in the deciding stride – “I was reasonably confident,” he said.

Signify is trained at Ashburton by the former leading jumps jockey Alex ‘Snooky’ Cowan, who was urged to have a crack at the race by Cuneen.

“Racha rode him when he ran second at Wingatui on Boxing Day and I told him that I had nominated the horse for the Telegraph,” said Cowan, whose wife Tracey owns the horse.

“He said you’ve got to run him and after Racha ran second in the Telegraph on Miss Seton Sands last year he had a good feel and knowledge around the race.”

The race was marred by the loss of the Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained mare First Serve, who suffered a fatal leg injury in the early stages.


NZ Racing News



Trentham Saturday, 21st January 2017

5f212y TURF DEAD
NZD $250,000

J R & N Berkett Telegraph (G1)

NZD $250,000
Type: OPEN
5f212y TURF DEAD
FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 11. SIGNIFY (NZ) 5yo G
PERFECTLY READY (AUS) - PICA PICA (NZ)
R CUNEEN
A COWAN
$46.3
55kg
Mrs T L Cowan

Sales Information

2nd 1. START WONDERING (NZ) 6yo G
EIGHTH WONDER (NZ) - ROSEANBAR (NZ)
JOHNATHON PARKES
J J & E RAYNER
$5.8
58kg
Mrs J M & S B Gudsell

Sales Information

3rd 3. PERFECT FIT (NZ) 5yo M
ELUSIVE CITY (USA) - FAYREFORM (NZ)
MICHAEL COLEMAN
KEN & BEV KELSO
$4.9
56kg
Haunui Bloodstock Ltd, Pinecliff Racing Syndicate, M Duncan, G Madill, J Orton & The Provincial Ltd

Sales Information

4th 14. REILLY LINCOLN (NZ) 5yo M
PINS (AUS) - WAILEA MISS (NZ)
R J MYERS
LISA LATTA
$20.7
54kg

Sales Information

4th 15. LADY ZAFIRA (NZ) 6yo M
IFFRAAJ (GB) - MARY ROBINSON (NZ)
MARK DU PLESSIS
JOHN BARY
$78.4
53.5kg

Sales Information

6th 9. MIGHTY SOLOMON (NZ) 6yo G
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - STAR OF TARZIE (NZ)
KELLY MYERS
LISA LATTA
$22.6
55kg

Sales Information

7th 12. BRIGHTON (NZ) 4yo G
BUFFALO MAN (CAN) - GORE BAY (AUS)
MICHAEL MCNAB
N W TILEY
$20.3
55kg

Sales Information

8th 17. SLICE OF CLASS (NZ) 6yo M
GUILLOTINE (NZ) - BIBLE CLASS (NZ)
DARRYL BRADLEY
K ZIMMERMAN
$110.5
53kg

Sales Information

9th 7. SPEECH CRAFT (AUS) 8yo G
ORATORIO (IRE) - CHALEUR (NZ)
JONATHAN RIDDELL
T L RIDDELL
$24.2
56kg

Sales Information

10th 2. ADVENTADOR (NZ) 8yo G
FAST 'N' FAMOUS (AUS) - ALPINE BEAUTY (NZ)
HAYDEN TINSLEY
GUY LOWRY & GRANT CULLEN
$74.4
58kg
11th 5. PASSING SHOT (NZ) 5yo G
SWISS ACE (AUS) - DERRYDANE (NZ)
OPIE BOSSON
STEPHEN MCKEE
$27.9
56kg

Sales Information

12th 18. LUNA ROSSA (NZ) 3yo F
WRITTEN TYCOON (AUS) - WILD PROMISES (AUS)
MATTHEW CAMERON
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$8.8
52.5kg
13th 4. ODYSSEY MOON (AUS) 4yo H
SNITZEL (AUS) - RUN TO THE MOON (USA)
NOEL CALLOW
ROBERT SMERDON
$5.2
56kg

Sales Information

14th 8. LONGCHAMP (NZ) 5yo G
TAVISTOCK (NZ) - SHOT AT THE TITLE (AUS)
KANE SMITH
ANDREW R CAMPBELL
$50.1
55.5kg

Sales Information

15th 10. MISS APPLETON (NZ) 6yo M
ALIGN (AUS) - OUR ASPIRATION (NZ)
ALYSHA COLLETT
GARY VILE
$29.6
55kg

Sales Information

16th 6. SIR STATHAM (NZ) 7yo G
DANROAD (AUS) - POLYANA (NZ)
CHRIS DELL
SCOTT LUCOCK & SALLY GILLESPIE
$63.7
56kg
17th 16. NO MORE TEARS (NZ) 4yo M
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - OCEAN OF TEARS (NZ)
DANIELLE JOHNSON
STEPHEN MARSH
$35.3
53.5kg

Sales Information

UNP 13. FIRST SERVE (NZ) 4yo M
SWISS ACE (AUS) - FUAR (NZ)
SAMANTHA WYNNE
MICHAEL & MATTHEW PITMAN
$7.4
54kg

Sales Information

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