breednet.com.au

Pretty Punk Wins Hobart Cup

Tara Madgwick - Sunday February 11
A weekend of success for Mill Park graduates continued on Sunday with a brave victory in the Group III Hobart Cup for tough staying mare Pretty Punk, a daughter of dual Derby winner Rebel Raider.

Pretty Punk - Sharon Chapman/ Tas RacingHer trainers Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas won Friday's Bow Mistress Trophy with Gogo Grace, who earned a $90,000 winner's cheque, before Pretty Punk banked $150,000 for her connections with her Hobart Cup victory.

Apprentice Ben Allen made the most of a pick-up ride that become available whenCraig Williams was suspended at Sandown last Wednesday.

Allen allowed Pretty Punk to roll forward to sit second, handy to a slow speed set by Earl Da Vinci, before midrace moves from other runners gave the mare some cover in the back straight.

Allen let Pretty Punk stride forward to join the leaders in the home turn, easing the four year-old to the outside part of the track while she defied the challengers to score by a short neck over the $3.40 favourite Andrea Mantegna.

Macdonald said Allen's ride was the difference between winning and losing.

"We brought her down here to win obviously, but when you get here races obviously get harder, and it looked a pretty even race between three orfour horses I thought," Macdonald said.

"I know all jockeys ride well when they win but that was a superb ride by Benny Allen. I couldn't get over the run he gave her. If he had been beaten he had still made all the right moves."

Macdonald said he and Gluyas needed to decide whether to take Pretty Punk home for the Adelaide Cup next month or remain in Tasmania for the Launceston Cup on Wednesday week.

A homebred for Harry Perks that was raised at Mill Park as was last Friday's Bow Mistress winner Gogogo Grace, Pretty Punk has the overall record of six wins and six seconds from 24 starts with prizemoney topping $430,000.

Now a two time stakes-winner, she is the best of three winners from Reliability, who has a yearling colt by Pretty Punk's sire Rebel Raider that will be offered by Mill Park at the 2018 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale as Lot 174.

Pretty Punk was the third weekend stakes-winner raised/ sold by Mill Park joining Gogo Grace and also exciting prospect Booker, winner of the Group III MRC Kevin Hayes Stakes at Caulfield. Click here to read about them.

Advertisment
More Reading...
One to Watch – Kembla
The juvenile maiden at Kembla on Tuesday was an intriguing affair featuring a number of well-bred and very expensive colts on debut, but the winner was a stylish first starter filly by Capitalist that broke 56 seconds for her debut win.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday April 15
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Who Do You Pick? Star Mares of Tomorrow
In chatting with our guest Jim Clarke this week on our Tara Talks Racing podcast we discussed a topic that will no doubt spark plenty of interest from our audience, if you could have one three year-old filly to take forward and race next season at four, who would it be?
Switzerland To Stand Alongside Fellow Coolmore Stud Stakes Winner Home Affairs at Jerry’s Plains
Following on from a phenomenal year in the sales ring, which saw first crop Home Affairs yearlings sell for an aggregate of more than $31 million, fellow Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland will join him in the stallion barn in 2025.
Belclare Seeking to Find Best Form Back in Australia
Dual Group One winner Belclare’s return home for a three-race campaign didn’t go to plan earlier this year, and now she is back on the other side of the Tasman to try and get her preparation back on track.
FBAA Professional Development Day- Food for Thought
The Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia’s third Continued Professional Development Day was again held at Randwick Racecourse on Tuesday 8th April 2025 and was hosted by MC Vin Cox.
Rare Feat by Rebel Raider
The fighting third by Waging War behind his promising stablemate Dalasan and the Group 1 winner Scales Of Justice in Saturday's Group III Spring Stakes at Morphettville topped off a very good week for Wyndholm Park's Rebel Raider who had the rare distinction of siring a trifecta during the week.
Arrowfield Announce 2025 Fees
In the wake of his third Golden Slipper winner and his career-best yearling sale results, multiple Champion Sire Snitzel heads the 2025 Arrowfield stallion roster at an unchanged fee of $247,500, while Castelvecchio has earned a deserved fee increase.
Pedigree Watch – Euro 3YO - Classic Potential
Interesting racing overnight at Newmarket with a couple of Classic key lead up stakes races for three year-olds and the winners were both first time stakes-winners, one from the family of Sydney autumn carnival staying star Alalcance and the other a homebred Dubawi filly for Juddmonte.
Yes Yes Yes It’s Been a Big Week for Kate Nivison!
This time last week passionate owner breeder Kate Nivison was basking in the success of having bred and sold a $1.7million Extreme Choice colt at Inglis Easter and today she was enjoying a different sort of success as a winning owner at Kembla.