Travis Stakes Redemption for Val Di Zoldo

Breednet - Saturday April 26

Val Di Zoldo’s victory in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday showed what a difference a year can make.

Val Di Zoldo winning the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Kenton Wright (Race Images)

The $150,000 fillies and mares’ feature capped an autumn black-type double for the War Decree mare, who was a last-start winner of the Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2050m) at Wanganui on April 5.

It could hardly be a more different story to what happened in those same two races 12 months ago. Val Di Zoldo ran fourth in the 2024 edition of the Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes at Trentham, crossing the finish line 3.6 lengths behind Apostrophe after being completely blocked for most of the straight.

The Travis Stakes was even more of a nightmare. Val Di Zoldo was caught wide without cover in the early part of the race, then jockey Wiremu Pinn lost his left stirrup leather in the straight. She overcame all of that adversity to still finish fourth, beaten by a half-head, a half-head and a head.

A return to Te Rapa for a second shot at the Travis Stakes brought redemption for Val Di Zoldo and Pinn. The pair enjoyed a comfortable run, three back on the rail, as Town Cryer and Our Jumala showed the way up to the home turn.

Pinn angled the five-year-old into the clear at the top of the home straight, and Val Di Zoldo soon warmed into her work. She surged past Town Cryer and Our Jumala with just over 100m to run, then held out a big finish from Islington Lass to win by a neck. Pinn summed up the feelings of all of Val Di Zoldo’s connections with a fist pump after the finish line.

“I think Wiremu will really enjoy that,” trainer Tony Pike said. “He’s ridden her a few times with absolutely no luck. She should have won this race last year. To get the win today is a little bit of payback.

“It was a beautiful ride by Wiremu. He settled three back at the fence and then came off at the right time.”

Advertisement

Val Di Zoldo has now won four of her 31 starts and $325,915 in stakes. She won the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) as a three-year-old in March of 2023, but then went winless for more than two years before this month’s Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes and Travis Stakes successes.

“She’s always been a very good mare, and she’s honestly the most unlucky mare I’ve ever trained,” Pike said. “So she really deserves these two stakes wins that she’s put together this autumn. She’s going to be a lovely broodmare later on as well.

“She’d been out of the winners’ circle for two years before that win two years ago, but it’s not her fault. She probably should have won three or four races during that period. To get this win today is fantastic for her owners.

“There’s now the possibility of the Rotorua Cup (Listed, 2200m) in a couple of weeks’ time. She ran in that last year and probably didn’t quite see out the 2200m. We’ll have a talk to the owners and make a decision. We might just put her out and then bring her back for the spring.”

Bred by the late Kevin Hickman, Val Di Zoldo is raced by Robert and Kim De Courcy under their Kinsale Bloodstock banner after she was purchased for $285,000 by Bruce Sherwin out of the Valachi Downs Unreserved Young & Racing Stock Dispersal Sale.

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment

Race Result - Travis Stakes Gr2 2000m

Te Rapa Track: Soft(5) Time: 2:04.50
1
Val Di Zoldo
- 5m War Decree (USA) x Civetta (NZ) (Thorn Park (AUS))
Tnr: A W Pike Rdr: W F Pinn 57.00
2
0.3
Islington Lass
- 6m Proisir (AUS) x Miss Relentless (NZ) (Montjeu (IRE))
Tnr: S A Sharrock Rdr: M J Mc Nab 57.00
3
1.3
Outback Opal
- 7m El Roca (AUS) x Kashika (NZ) (Bachelor Duke (USA))
Tnr: M H Brosnan Rdr: M Hashizume 57.00
4
1.5
Town Cryer
- 7m Tavistock (NZ) x The Speaker (NZ) (Volksraad (GB))
Tnr: R J Bergerson Rdr: Joe Doyle 57.00
5
2
Our Jumala
- 6m Zed (NZ) x Baltis (NZ) (Al Akbar (AUS))
Tnr: Robbie Patterson Rdr: C J Grylls 57.00
6
2.8
Nigella Lane
- 5m Niagara (AUS) x Casabella Lane (NZ) (Volksraad (GB))
Tnr: R R Manning Rdr: K A Myers 57.00
7
2.9
Mehzebeen
- 5m Almanzor (FR) x Salkantay (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson Rdr: G Rooke 57.00
8
3.1
Khanshe
- 4m Mongolian Khan (AUS) x Folies Bergere (NZ) (O'reilly (NZ))
Tnr: F J Auret Rdr: R T Elliot 57.00
9
3.6
Manifique
- 6m Savabeel (AUS) x Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar (USA))
Tnr: Peter Didham Rdr: K Chowdhoory 57.00
10
4.1
Livid Sky
- 4m Proisir (AUS) x Lady Lucille (NZ) (Istidaad (USA))
Tnr: S R Autridge Rdr: W B Kennedy 57.00
11
4.2
Charlbury
- 5m Churchill (IRE) x Astrid (NZ) (Pins (AUS))
Tnr: Ms C Cameron Rdr: A Lawson-Carroll 57.00
12
5.1
Blue Sky At Night
- 7m Shamexpress (NZ) x After Midnight (NZ) (Viking Ruler (AUS))
Tnr: Ms S Hale Rdr: U A Holmquist 57.00
13
5.6
Electron
- 4m Turn Me Loose (NZ) x Chemistry (AUS) (Shamardal (USA))
Tnr: Ms S P Mynott Rdr: Matthew Cartwright 57.00
More Reading...
Wootton Bassett Winning Whirl
It was a red letter day for Wootton Bassett (GB) at The Curragh overnight with a treble of winners highlighted by top class filly Whirl, who captured the Group I Pretty Polly Stakes (1m2f), a race won by the mighty Via Sistina in 2023.
Corumbene Stud Homebred Tashi Wins G1 Tatts Tiara
From the last crop of foals sired by Widden Stud’s much missed Golden Slipper winning sire Sebring, five year-old mare Tashi may also be his final Group I winner as she produced a career best performance at Eagle Farm on Saturday to win the $700,000 Group I Tatts Tiara (1400m).
Miss Joelene Achieves Millionaire Status
This time last year, Miss Joelene was highlighting herself as one to watch for the future, having placed in the Group 2 The Roses and the Group 1 Queensland Oaks, and after a few runs behind the outstanding Antino (Redwood) this time in, a class drop on Saturday saw her record victory in the $200,000 Listed BRC Tattersall’s Gold Crown (2100m) at Eagle Farm.
Another Aussie SW Sourced from Aga Khan Studs
When Australian investors buy tried horses out of Europe from Aga Khan Studs they know they are getting quality, but the good ones don’t come cheap with Elamaz (IRE) sourced from their draft at the Arqana Arc Sale last year for €480,000.
Sires With Winners - Saturday June 28
Here is the full list of 109 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Almanzor Stayer wins G3 Tattersalls Cup
It's been a long time since the  2022 Victoria Derby and some may have wondered whether the winner Manzoice was ever going to win again!
Private Eye’s Half-Brother King’s Secret Wins Again
Although he may never reach the heights of his older half-brother Private Eye, a Group 1 winner and earner of more than $12m to date, connections of King’s Secret (Shalaa) are sure to have plenty of their own fun with the 3yo gelding winning at Rosehill on Saturday.
Better Than Ready’s Metalart Wins Group 3 W J Healy Stakes
Improving off a third in the Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm recently, 4yo Better Than Ready gelding Metalart stepped up to 1200m to record his first black type success, winning the Group 3 W J Healy Stakes.
Tattersall’s Mile For The Inflictor - Under The Louvre’s Second SW
Third at Listed level before winning at Doomben, the Craig Cousins-trained The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) then tackled the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, and while not in the same league as winner War Wachine (Harry Angel), the 4yo gelding showed his class on Saturday to win the Listed BRC Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
Aussie 2YO SW for Tivaci
New Zealand-bred colt Matahga stamped himself as an exciting spring three-year-old prospect with a hard-fought victory in the A$120,000 Listed David Peacock Oaklands Plate (1400m) at Morphettville on Saturday.