Karaka 3YO Million Goal for Saxon Warrior's Danjuro

Media Release - Friday September 22

The connections of promising three-year-old Danjuro have their eyes on a $1.5 million prize following his impressive debut win at Woodville on Thursday.

The son of Saxon Warrior jumped well and settled outside leader Bella Corno and under the urgings of jockey Johnathan Parkes was able to get up over his adversary in the closing stages to win the Dannevirke Carriers (1200m) by a short head, with a further short neck back to the fast-finishing Grid Girl.

Danjuro (centre) winning on debut at Woodville on Thursday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)

Trainer Peter Didham was rapt with the result and said his connections are in for an exciting ride, with the gelding far from a finished product.

“He is a lovely, tall, athletic horse, but mentally and physically he is probably six months away,” Didham said.

“He was on and off the bridle and didn’t really know what to do. He is probably better midfield and chasing other horses at this stage.

“He looked a good horse in the birdcage and I think the second and third horses are very promising as well, so I think there will be a bit of form out of the race.

“It was good to get the win under the belt for the syndicate. They are really nice owners who paid a bit of money for him. They have had some offers and have rejected them, it’s nice to have a nice horse in the stable.”

Didham was taken by Danjuro when expecting him at Karaka as a yearling last year and went to $140,000 to secure him out of Curraghmore’s draft.

Nominated for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November, Didham said Danjuro could head towards the Christchurch Classic, but he is also eyeing a richer prize in the $1.5million Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in Auckland two months later.

“We will just take him quietly through the next couple of weeks and then we will find a 1400m and go from there,” Didham said.

“He is Karaka nominated and I know it is a long way to go yet and we have only won a maiden at Woodville, but he is going to grow into a nice horse and the Saxon Warriors appear that they want at least a mile, and he has always looked like he wants a mile.”

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Didham is looking forward to racing at his home track of Awapuni on Saturday where he will be represented by four runners.

Almanzor gelding Starbilly finished runner-up on debut at Awapuni last month and will be vying to go one better in the Pilet Contracting LTD/Pioneer Seeds 1400.

“He will benefit if there is a shower or two of rain around,” Didham said.

“He has got a horror draw (15) and he wants 2000m, so he needs to start working his way up. He has had 1100m and he is up to 1400m now. He will probably be ridden cold and run home.

“It would be hard to see him winning from that draw and coming from the back at Palmy on Saturday, but I just want to see him going forward and get him up to a mile and 2000m where I think he will really show what he has got.”

Stablemates Extraordinaire and Morus will contest the Farmers Transport (2015) LTD/Marsh Insurance Brokers 1400, while Gum Basher will round out Didham’s quartet of runners in the Manawatu Toyota/John Turkington Forestry 1100.

“Extraordinaire and Morus are both flying,” Didham said. “It is a strong field, as it should be for good stake money. Both have jumped out and trialled really well and both of them are a chance.

“Gum Basher is a hard case and her form is poly form. She just keeps improving and is a tough little horse. She sat three-wide on the poly last week and still won, and went home and licked the bowl clean. 

“We are doing something a bit unique where we are dropping back from 1400m to 1100m. We have kept her fresh this week.

“She will be going out for a spell no matter what. She will get back and she could go a cheeky race.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Visit the profile page for SAxon Warrior

SAxon Warrior in upcoming sales:
Advertisment
More Reading...
Stefi Magnetica Smashes Through $7m Mark
Already a dual Group1 winner, Bjorn Baker’s 5yo All Too Hard mare Stefi Magnetica added the $2m Group 2 ATC The Invitational (1400m) to her impressive record, with her earnings smashing through the $7m mark for her ownership group headed by the Cunningham family.
Blueblood Lonhro Colt Wins G1 Spring Champion
At the start of August we ran a story about the 3YO’s that were entered for this year Cox Plate and aside from the usual suspects there were some ‘Cox Plate dreamers’ and one of them was unraced Lonhro colt Attica, who capped his meteoric rise to fame with a thrilling victory in the $2million Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
VRC Derby Favourite Strengthens His Chances With G2 Vase Win
When breaking his maiden by five lengths at just his second start last season, Ghaiyyath's colt Observer looked to have above average ability, but it was his third last start in the Group 1 MRC Caulfield Guineas (1600m) that had everybody talking about the exciting prospect.
First Winner for Home Affairs
Exciting young sire Home Affairs opened his account with his first winner in New Zealand on Saturday with a dominant debut victory for race favourite Harvey Wallbanger at Ellerslie.
Invincible Colt Wins $1million G2 Callander Presnell for Godolphin
Progressive I Am Invincible colt Ohope won the $1million ATC Tapp Craig (1400m) at his previous start, however was not rewarded officially with Black Type for that result, but he did achieve stakes-winner status at Randwick on Saturday when scoring a determined win over quality colt Rivellino in the $1million ATC Callander Presnell (1600m).
G2 McEwen Stakes To Jigsaw - Fifth Black Type Victory
A previous Group 2 winner at Moonee Valley a few years back, Jigsaw’s connections would’ve headed into Saturday’s Group 2 MVRC McEwen Stakes (1200m) with a level of confidence despite tackling last start Group 1 MVRC Manikato Stakes winner Charm Stone.
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
Te Akau Win G3 War Decree Stakes with Snitzel Filly
Te Akau Racing made a blistering start to the afternoon across both New Zealand meetings on Saturday, racking up six wins in a three-hour period including with a pair of potential candidates for next month’s Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
2025 Cox Plate Result - Fastnet Rock and Waller Quinella
A genuine champion sire should be able to produce the horses that win the very best races in the country in which they stand and the late great Fastnet Rock have us a demonstration of that when his high class Northern Hemisphere bred offspring Via Sistina (IRE) and Buckaroo (GB) fought out an epic finish to the $6million Group I MVRC WS Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Danjuro Making Progress
Enigmatic four-year-old Danjuro has been a work in progress for trainer Peter Didham, but the penny may be starting to drop with the son of Saxon Warrior, who scored his second consecutive victory in the Central ITM Wairarapa Cup (2050m) at Tauherenikau on Thursday.