Few horses have been more deserving of stakes success than the LA bred and raced mare Aspinal (Pins-Clermont Rose). In her swansong campaign the six-year-old mare, who is safely in foal to Zabeel, won the Listed Lion Red Plate over 1400m at Rotorua on Saturday. A half sister to group three winner Grand Dancer, Aspinal is from the same family as star three-year-old and stablemate Sacred Falls.
Stakeswinning Nadeem gelding Specter (Nadeem- Woman in White) hinted at a return to something like the form which included a fourth placing in the Group One Caulfield Guineas with a tough third placing in a listed event last week at Caulfield. Second-up following a spell the four-year-old gelding spent most of the 1200m journey posted three-wide but still kept fighting to finish a close third to the highly touted Freewheeling.
Slivovitz (Nadeem-Ripe Plum) won over 2100m in New South Wales last Thursday.
Last Friday’s meeting at New Plymouth saw the interestingly bred How True (Towkay-Agra) make it two wins from his last three starts when successful over 2000m. The Mark Oulaghan trained gelding is closely linebred to the mare Princess Tracy through his sire Towkay and dam sire Danasinga.
Things certainly came in two’s for LA broodmare Rivertaine last week. Her four-year-old son Rapidus (Darci Brahma-Rivertaine) won over 1800m last Thursday in New South Wales followed two days later by her daughter Elchester (Pins-Rivertaine) winning over 1400m at Newcastle. Both horses are in the stable of champion trainer Bart Cummings.
The LA bred Environment Patron (Montjeu-Nikki’s Bride) registered his sixth career success with his win over 2000m in Victoria last Friday.
