Cambridge stables have a proud recent record in the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), and Yaldi (NZ) (Ardrossan) has emerged as a chance to uphold that tradition at Ellerslie later this month.
Three of the last four winners of the lucrative race have come from the Cambridge training centre. Andrew Forsman won it with Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls) in 2021, while Roger James and Robert Wellwood have gone back-to-back with star fillies Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) and Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel) in the last two years.
Yaldi staked his Karaka Millions 3YO claim with a hard-fought win in the $270,000 Group Two Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. That was the second win of a five-race career and lifted his rating to 76, which puts him in second behind Group One winner Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) on the Karaka Millions 3YO order of entry.
Little Avondale Stud offered Yaldi in Book 2 of Karaka 2023, where he was bought by Bruce Perry Bloodstock for $50,000. He has already banked more than $214,000 for his owners, Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock and David Wilson. The talented gelding is trained by Andrew Forsman.
“The main target for this preparation has been the Karaka Millions 3YO, and obviously the NZB Kiwi (1500m) and races like that are on his radar,” Forsman said. “How we get to Karaka, I’m not so sure. We’ll just see how he comes through the Guineas and talk to Lib, Bruce and the team.
“We put blinkers on for the Guineas, which is something we’ve toyed with for a little while. He’s still very raw and immature and he’s still learning, so I just thought he needed to focus a bit more after the other day at Te Rapa, where he probably threw the race away. I was really happy to see him knuckle down off the slow speed like he did.”
Petagna’s Elsdon Park will offer a full-brother to Yaldi as Lot 90 during Book 1 of Karaka 2025 later this month.
Savaglee and Yaldi head a talented line-up of three-year-olds in the Karaka Millions 3YO order of entry. Third spot is occupied by Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel), who was runner-up in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) last year and has added a dominant win at Te Rapa and a Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) placing to her CV this season.
Others in prominent positions include Group Three War Decree Stakes (1600m) winner He’s Lucid (NZ) (Contributer) and Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m) winner Tuxedo (NZ) (Tivaci).
Next Saturday’s $400,000 Group Two Top Kat Roofing Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham looms as a key Karaka Millions 3YO lead-up, drawing a highly talented field that will potentially be headed by the likes of Savaglee and Yaldi.
The TAB Karaka Millions 3YO will be part of a stellar six-race twilight meeting at Ellerslie on January 25, which sets the scene for a spectacular week of Karaka 2025 selling action.
