On the eve of the NZB Ready to Run Sale, Per Incanto has given buyers a timely reminder of his ability to leave horses capable of competing on racing's biggest stages.
Justacanta annexed his 2nd Australian black type success in three starts when he powered home from last at the clocktower to win the 1200m Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes on Derby Day at Flemington.
Transferred to the Victorian stable of Patrick Payne earlier this year, the gelded son of Per Incanto had shown last summer in NZ a rare ability domestically to consistently produce 33 second last 600 m sectionals, something which has stood him in good stead against the better Victorian sprinters.
Bred by LA, Justacanta was bought from LA’s 2014 National Weanling Sale draft for $11,000, a draft that also included the stakes winners A Time for Magic and Tinkalicious.
Meanwhile up in Sydney on the same day, Lost and Running reinforced his meteoric rise through Australia's elite sprinting ranks with an outstanding 2nd in the $1 million Classique Legend Stakes at Rosehill on Golden Eagle day.
The John O'Shea trained 5YO, who was backing up from his 4th placing in the TAB Everest, produced another career-best performance, being the only horse to make ground on the winner Eduardo, despite been posted wide throughout the 1300 m event. The strength of his Everest run and the form around him was reinforced with Home Affairs, well beaten in the Everest, trouncing the best Australian 3YO sprinters in the Group 1 Coolmore Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
Per Incanto has 16 entries for the NZB Ready to Run Sale which begins virtually at Te Rapa racecourse on 17 November.
And while he’s light on numbers these days, Nadeem is rarely without a good horse and that was again on show at Awapuni on Saturday when his Group 1 placed 3YO from last season, Wild Moose, bred and part owned by LA stallion groom Helen Phinney, coped admirably with his open class debut to beat a number of stakes winners to land the 1400m Red Craze Bowl. Just for good measure, Nadeem's stakes winning son Sir Nate ran a game 3rd in the days feature, the listed Fielding Gold Cup.
