The highest priced yearling by Cambridge Stud's in form sire Almanzor (Fr) sold in 2025, Stromlinien made a winning debut on Sunday and has a half-brother to be offered at Karaka Book 1.
Brilliant wins at Ellerslie on Sunday by the Andrew Forsman-trained fillies Stromlinien and Chilling Out have set a platform for the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and 3YO (1600m) back at the Auckland track in two weeks’ time.
A last-to-first finish in the opening race has all but secured a place in the Karaka Millions 2YO field for the previously unheralded filly Stromlinien.
The $450,000 Karaka yearling purchase went into the 1200m race with a single trial placing back in September, but she put aside any supposed lack of experience with a professional performance.
After jumping well and engaging in the early speed duel, Stromlinien was eased back by jockey Craig Grylls and when the field balanced for the run home, she still shared last place on the inside of fellow debutant Singletary.
Grylls angled her into the clear with 300m to run and she accelerated impressively between runners to hit the lead short of the finish and score by a long head. Indicative of the early tempo, Singletary finished hard down the outside for second, while Zaharias wilted to third after being left in front when the leaders faded.
The $31,625 winner’s stake thrust Stromlinien right into Karaka Millions calculations, placing her ninth in the 14-horse qualifying order and prompting the TAB to slash her odds to $15.
Third place boosted Zaharias’ earnings to $24,375 and up to 14th in the current order, but it is doubtful whether the $10,175 Singletary earned in running second will be sufficient to make the cut, even allowing there are doubtful starters higher up the order.
Trainer Andrew Forsman admitted that the Karaka Millions 2YO wasn’t on his radar until Stromlinien put her hand up, but a return to Ellerslie on January 24 now seems a natural next step.
“The main reason she’s here today is because they didn’t include two-year-old heats in the trials at Tauranga on Tuesday,” Forsman said.
“After what she’s just done though, the Karaka Millions seems obvious just so long as she comes through the race okay, but she’s tough and I would expect her to.”
As a daughter of Almanzor and a Savabeel mare, Stromlinien does not on the surface appeal as a precocious juvenile. However, Almanzor’s current run of hot form includes several shorter distance performers headed by Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) winner First Five, and her dam Santa Catarina’s five wins up to 1400m included a stakes race at two.
Combining with Sydney-based bloodstock agent Andrew Williams, Forsman went to $450,000 to secure Stromlinien from the Elsdon Park draft at Karaka 2025. The Matamata nursery will offer a half-brother by Per Incanto as Lot 97 in its draft for the upcoming sale.
Karaka Book 1 was also the source of Forsman’s second winner on the Ellerslie programme, previous-start maiden graduate Chilling Out, who lodged her Karaka Millions claim with a similar effort to her younger stablemate.
After a debut third in early December, the Savabeel filly scored a comfortable win less than a fortnight later over 1400m at Ruakaka.
Her Ellerslie repeat up against far stronger three-year-old opposition was in another league, however. After settling well back for super-confident jockey Craig Grylls, she didn’t loom into the action until well into the home straight yet was still able to comfortably account for the stakes-performed pair Miss Ziggy and That’s Gold.
“That was a smart effort, so we’ll have to think about coming back here for the big three-year-old mile,” said Forsman, who prepares the $375,000 Haunui Farm graduate for long-time stable supporter David Paykel.
“Going back to my time with Murray (Baker) we’ve had a number of good horses for David, but I think this filly might the best of them.
“I thought she could win today and I also think she can win the Karaka Millions (3YO), so it’s pretty exciting to think we’ve now got what look like live chances in both races.”
Chilling Out also holds nominations for the Gr. 1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai NZ Oaks (2400m) and Gr. 1 Trackside NZ Derby (2400m), for which her respective odds have been shortened to $11 and $26.
Grylls continued his dominance of the jockeys’ premiership by winning the first three races on the Ellerslie card. That extended his tally to 84 wins, 37 clear of his closest rival Sam Collett, as he makes every post a winner in his quest for back-to-back titles. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
