Cambridge Stud resident stallion Embellish made the perfect start to his stud career on Saturday when debut runner Luberon led all the way to land the Bear Morgan @ Harcourts Bream Bay 2YO over 800m at Ruakaka.
Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay and carrying their familiar black and yellow colours, Luberon is from the first crop of the former Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner who commenced his duties at the Stud during the 2019 breeding season.
A stylish trial winner over 800m on the Cambridge synthetic track earlier in the month, the Lance Noble-trained filly made good use of an inside barrier for rider Vinnie Colgan as she showed plenty of natural speed to head straight to the front and lead her rivals a merry dance.
Asked for a serious effort in the run home, Luberon dashed well clear and hit the line just on four lengths clear of local runner Dancing Dream who made up good late ground to snatch second from race favourite Viva Vienna.
“We’re absolutely delighted with that, very chuffed indeed,” Noble said after the race
“To be able to train the first winner by Embellish for Brendan and Jo makes this win all the more special.
“She is really just what you want in a two-year-old as she is strong, with a great constitution and just does everything right.
“She was actually quite green at her first trial but the beauty of her is that she just learns so quickly without forcing her to do anything.
“She is well put together although there is still plenty of growing left to do, so it is an exciting future ahead of her.”
Noble is also looking forward to putting together a plan for the filly over the next few months although a well-earned stint in the paddock is in her immediate future.
“Being a homebred and not having gone through the ring at Karaka, the pressure to try and get her to the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) isn’t there,” he said.
“I think a quick break for a few days will do her the world of good and then we can have a look at some summer targets.
“As long as she handles this well, then we might look at the two-year-old stakes race (Fasttrack Insurance 2yo Stakes, Listed, 1100m) at Pukekohe in November as a suitable target for her next.”
Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre had been confident of a good performance and was thrilled to see the filly deliver on expectations.
“We’re just letting it sink in a bit as it is a wonderful result for Brendan and Jo, for the stallion and for everyone here at the Stud,” he said.
“We would have been disappointed if she hadn’t run top three as she was definitely one of our best filly foals, just a gorgeous type with such a great attitude.
“She is really a push button job who sleeps, eats and works and doesn’t seem to have a care in the world.
“It’s a very exciting result for Embellish and I don’t doubt that will attract a few more mares to him this season.
“He is coming into his fourth year at stud and he had a fantastic book of 160 mares last season.
“We have some very well credentialled Cambridge Stud mares supporting him and a strong outside following so this is a fantastic way to kick off with his first crop on the track.”
A son of Savabeel, Embellish will stand the 2022 breeding season at Cambridge Stud for a fee of $4,000+GST. – NZ Racing Desk
