Yulong has wasted little time in making a mark on New Zealand racing this spring, and those emerald green and white colours were carried to another feature-race win by Azeezle in Sunday’s Levin Truck Services Levin Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.
From its conception in 2014, Yuesheng Zhang’s Yulong Investments has grown into a thoroughbred powerhouse spanning both hemispheres. The operation has celebrated countless big-race triumphs, most notably with the reigning Australian Horse of the Year and 12-time Group One winner Via Sistina.
Australian import Azeezle is one of a group of horses transferred into Ben and Ryan Foote’s Cambridge stable earlier this year, while Yulong made an even bigger investment on the Kiwi scene last month when they bought into the ownership of undefeated three-year-old filly Well Written. In her first start in the Yulong colours, Well Written romped home by two and a half lengths in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on November 8.
Azeezle made his New Zealand debut on that same day in Christchurch, running second to Platinum Attack in the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m). That pair met again in the $80,000 Levin Stakes on Sunday, and this time the result was reversed.
Azeezle drew the outside gate, and his jockey Vinnie Colgan urged him forward in the first 100m to move across the front of the field and take up the lead. With another noted front-runner in Idyllic having missed the start, Colgan was able to ease the tempo and give Azeezle a breather during the middle stages of the race.
Colgan began to up the ante again just before the home turn, and Azeezle kicked away at the top of the straight and put two lengths on the second-placed Fancy Like Lass.
Platinum Attack was the last to straighten for home and had a daunting amount of ground to make up in the final 400m. He gave it his very best shot, flying down the outside with a spectacular finishing burst, but came up a half-neck short of Azeezle at the finish line. The resuming runner Dealt With, who was among the brightest talents in last season’s there-year-old crop, was another half-length away in an eye-catching third.
“The race panned out really well today,” Ryan Foote said. “Vinnie gave him a perfect ride. He was able to get a soft sectional and then kick away in the straight.
“These couple of runs have shown that he can be competitive in good sprint company. He was off the scene for a long time before that first-up run in the Pegasus, and we thought he’d taken plenty of natural improvement from that.
“It’s good to get a win on the board today, and a big thrill to get a winner in those Yulong colours.”
Azeezle holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on January 3, for which the TAB rates him a $31 chance in a market headed by Crocetti ($6), Tomodachi ($6), Grail Seeker ($8), Platinum Attack ($8), Quintessa and Savaglee (both $10).
Azeezle began his career with eight starts in Australia for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman, collecting wins at Ballarat and Mornington along with a placing at Moonee Valley.
The four-year-old son of Exceed And Excel has now had 10 starts for three wins, two placings and $119,747 in stakes.
Azeezle is a half-brother to Soqrat (by Epaulette), who was Champion 2YO Colt in South Africa in 2017-18 and won seven races including the Gr.1 Horse Chestnut Stakes (1600m), Gr.1 Cape Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 Premier’s Champion Stakes (1600m). – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
