The owners of Damask Rose have been given a late Christmas present, with Te Akau Racing selecting the exciting filly to represent their slot in the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8.
The daughter of Savabeel, who was purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis for $200,000 out of Milan Park’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft, is the third confirmed runner for the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, joining Domain Ace (Canterbury Jockey Club) and Sought After (Waikato Stud).
Damask Rose is currently an $8 equal favourite for the NZB Kiwi, alongside Group One winner Savaglee and Australian Group One performer Aeliana, and New Zealand’s leading stable believe she is the ideal horse for the 1500m feature.
“We are very proud to nominate Damask Rose for the Te Akau Racing slot,” Te Akau Racing director Karyn Fenton-Ellis said. “We believe you need a very high-class horse to win a race like this and her record shows that she can run brilliant sectionals, and that is the type of ability and talent you will need to have a chance to win.
“We feel her pet distance is 1400-1600m, so the 1500m just suits her to perfection.”
Damask Rose has been a standout for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, finishing runner-up in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) in January at just her second start, and kicked-off her three-year-old season with a third placing in the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September behind Alabama Lass.
She was then sent for a spell before resuming with a win over 1200m at Te Rapa earlier this month, beating fellow NZB Kiwi contender Sought After, and has been duly installed a $2.35 favourite for Thursday’s Gr.2 Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie.
“Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson have trained the filly to perfection,” Fenton-Ellis said. “She resumed at Te Rapa with a pretty inspired win under the weight (59kg) she was carrying. It was very smart of them to give her a spell when they did in September and October.”
The announcement has been timely for Te Akau Racing, with Damask Rose set to gain valuable points towards the $175,000 NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge if she performs up to expectations in the Auckland Guineas.
Once a Slot Holder has nominated their runner for the 2025 NZB Kiwi, that horse is able to accumulate points by placing in the top three in any race it enters leading up to Champions Day.
Horses are awarded four points for winning a race, two points for second, and one point for third, with those figures doubling for black-type and special conditions races.
The three horses who start the NZB Kiwi with the highest points accumulated before the race will earn a share of the $175,000 NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge, with $100,000 awarded to the winner, $50,000 to second place and $25,000 for the third placegetter.
“The layers of initiative around the NZB Kiwi is something the creators can be proud of,” Fenton-Ellis said. “There are key bonus races, but there is a separate $175,000 bonus and the points they accumulate along the way. That certainly attracted our attention and at the moment we think she is a standout filly and we wanted to make the declaration early and our owners certainly feel like they have got a wonderful Christmas present.”
Fenton-Ellis said the Te Akau Coming Up Roses Racing Partnership, who race Damask Rose, are enjoying the ride of a lifetime, particularly the first-time owners involved in the syndicate.
“It is a wonderfully diverse group of owners, who are mostly Kiwis, but also some Australian owners as well,” she said. “It is a team of a lot of new owners and that is the exciting thing.
“What this initiative (NZB Kiwi) is going to do is create more eyes on thoroughbred racing in New Zealand. It is bringing a lot of new people into the industry.
“The new owners involved in this filly, who came into racing for the first time last year when they bought into this filly, have been blown away by the experience. They tell their friends and their family, so it brings in a whole new constituency of people who are turning their attention to some of the opportunities that racing can offer.
“It is generating a massive amount of attention, and I think that is incredibly important to have our industry thrive.”
Damask Rose will have the services of leading Australian jockey Blake Shinn on Boxing Day, with the pair having combined previously to finish runner-up in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie last season.
Shinn has subsequently ridden her in track work on a visit to New Zealand last month and is set to partner her again in the TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) next month, and most likely in the NZB Kiwi in March.
Shinn and Te Akau Racing are developing a burgeoning relationship, which has been fostered over the last year.
“We caught up with him (Shinn) on the Gold Coast at a place we had gone to for a three-day break after the Magic Millions sale last June. He and his partner Lucy were there,” Fenton-Ellis said. “Then we caught up in Melbourne in October-November and then he was suspended, so he came to New Zealand and he stayed with us at the farm and at Matamata, and rode track work for us and some jumpouts.
“He has been well-acquainted with horses such as Damask Rose. He also rode her into second place in this year’s Karaka Millions 2YO. He is very keen and eager to come back, and he will be riding for us on Boxing Day as well as Karaka Millions night, and I am pretty sure we will be able to lure him back for Champions Day somehow.”
Fenton-Ellis said Te Akau Racing are looking forward to the next couple of months in the lead-up to Champions Day, and they are excited to be a part of the history-making day.
“When the initiative (NZB Kiwi) was announced, we were very impressed with what New Zealand Bloodstock, NZTR (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing) and Entain had worked together to create,” Fenton-Ellis said. “It is already making a huge impact on the New Zealand racing scene for all participants.
“Te Akau have been deeply committed to supporting and promoting the industry for 40 years now. We are proud Kiwis, we are proud of our industry, so when we first heard about this innovation, we were determined to be involved and secure a slot, especially for our owners to have that opportunity.
“It is a great time to be involved in New Zealand racing because the rollercoaster starts now. You have got the Karaka Millions twilight meeting into the sales, into Champions Day come the 8th of March, which will be the biggest day in New Zealand’s racing history. We feel privileged to be a part of it.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
