Kiwi Juvenile Stakes-Winner for Pluck

Media Release - Saturday May 25

The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable were expected to play a prominent role in Saturday's Listed Piazza D'Oro Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie, with five runners down to contest the two-year-old feature.

Rhaegar - Trish DunnellWhilst the pair ultimately provided the quinella in the event it was the little-fancied Rhaegar who upset the applecart when he downed well-favoured stablemate Long Jack at odds of better than $30 on the tote.

Having finished well back in his first two raceday starts, Rhaegar had indicated the penny may have dropped with a stylish win over 850m at the Waipa trials on Monday. Taking confidence from the run, the Pluck gelding travelled easily in midfield for rider Michael McNab as pacemakers King Midas and All The Rage set a solid tempo up front.

McNab angled the rangy customer into a challenging position approaching the home corner before making his bid with 300m to run. Rhaegar quickly put paid to third favourite Jennifer Eccles before holding out the stern challenge of Long Jack in the closing stages to win by a neck at the post.

Baker admitted the winner had left he and his co-trainer Andrew Forsman scratching their heads at times with him.

"Rhaegar always shown plenty but he's been the most difficult and disappointing horse on raceday," he said.

"We put blinkers on him and took him to the trials last Monday where he won from the back.

"We had to get him to run genuinely as he was very disappointing and we were scratching our heads as he had shown plenty on the track.

"It was a very good win today.

"The second horse (Long Jack) is a seriously good horse, he got home well and is a good three-year-old in the making.

Advertisement

"I think they both should have good futures."

McNab was confident of a good run once he saw the trial win by his mount.

"Just shows how good Murray (Baker) is eh," he said.

"He trialled really good on Monday and Murray said it had just been the heavy track (at his last start) and when he trialled good with the blinkers on, I just had to steer him around.

Pluck"He did everything spot on and he did it easy as he was coasting the last bit.

"He was strong and hard to pull up so going forward to his three-year-old (season) he has a bit of upside."

Rhaegar is out of the Australian bred mare Grand Lady, who is a half-sister to Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) winner Rena's Lady and was a $60,000 purchase by Forsman from the Lansdowne Park draft during the Book 2 session at the 2018 National Yearling Sale at Karaka.

He is the fourth stakes-winner for Vinery Stud's Pluck (USA), a bargain priced son of champion sire More Than Ready that stands at $6,600 this spring.


Like star former stablemate Jon Snow, Rhaegar is named after a character in the hit series Game Of Thrones, and is raced by the Rhaegar Syndicate that includes Jon Snow's owners, the Zame family, along with Forsman and his parents. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Futurity Winner with a Future for Pluck
Champion trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman produced another stakes winner by Pluck (USA) when Rhaegar landed the Auckland Futurity Stakes LR at long odds on Saturday.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
South African Win for Monsieur Gustave Half-Brother
The Greyville meeting in South Africa on Wednesday produced an interesting winner with the half-brother to in-form stakes-winning sprinter Monsieur Gustave opening his account.
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
Pluck Star Set for Ramornie
Star Boy secured a start in black-type company with an on-pace victory in the Aberdeen Cup(1280m) on Sunday.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.