Grafton Cup Winner Underlines the Tragedy of One Season Shuttler Azamour

Mark Smith - Thursday July 11

The Kiwi's love nothing more than to winter in Queensland and they are finding it profitable to extend the stay and make the trip south across the border for the Grafton Cup Carnival.

It was proved just that for champion trainer Tony Pike whose last start Doomben winner Sacred Day carried the Raffles Racing silks to victory in Thursday's Listed Grafton Cup (2350m)

Under a pearl of a ride by local hero Ben Looker, Sacred Day defeated Sopressa (So You Think) by a long-neck with Vaucluse Bay (Al Maher) a half-head back in third. The favourite, Caloundra Cup winner, Igraine (GER) (Galileo) seemed to be anchored under her top-weight of 59klgs but battled on gamely for fourth.

Advertisement

Pike gave credit to Michael Beatie, the CEO at Grafton, who contacted him at the Ready To Run Sale to bring a horse over for the cup.


"I've known Michael for a few years and he said, 'just get one coming through the grades', so this horse fitted the bill perfectly," Pike said.

"He was a bit unlucky in his first two starts over here and he was dominant under a big weight last start. We've always thought he was a progressive stayer and I think he will go on from here.

"In a true handicap he was probably ten kilos wrong in the weights but his runs in a couple of pretty good races in New Zealand have been very good and he was probably unlucky not to win the Karaka Sales Cup.

"He's a horse we have always held in high regard and has been a bit of a work in progress and it was a great ride by Ben, I'm Rapt for him."

The 4yo son of Azamour (IRE) advances his record to 4 wins, 3 seconds and 3 thirds from 16 starts with earnings of $159,646.

A $90,000 purchase by Raffles Racing out of the Brighthill Farm draft at the 2016 NZB Select Yearling Sale, Sacred Day (pictured as a yearling ) is the second winner from as many to race out of the unraced O'Reilly mare Top Of The Day who was purchased by Brighhill Farm for just $5,000 at the 2012 Inglis Australian Easter Broodmare Sale.

A daughter of the Listed STC Stayers' Cup winner and Group 1 ARC New Zealand Stakes third Full Noise (Kaapstad), Top Of The World died last year.

Her final foal is an unnamed 2yo filly Dalghar (FR) who was also purchased by Raffles Racing for $90,000 at the 2018 NZB Karaka - Book 2.

What a loss to the NZ breeding industry Azamour (photo Gilltown Stud ) is proving to be.

The winner of the St James's Palace Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes as a three-year-old and Prince Of Wales's Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as a four-year-old, Azamour left just 51 live foal from his lone crop in New Zealand.

The Aga Khan-bred son of Night Shift shuttled for the first time to Brighthill Stud in 2013 and he died the following year at Gilltown Stud where he first stood on 2006.

From that crop of 51 foals have come the Group 1 MRC One Thousand Guineas winner Aloisia and the Group II ARC Championship Stakes winner Azaboy while his imported son Best Of Days (GB ) won last year's Group 1 Cantala Stakes and Double Bluff (IRE) added the Listed MVRC Moonee Valley Night Cup.

In the northern hemisphere Azamour has sired the Irish Oaks winner Covert Love and the French Oaks winner Valyra (GB ).

Sacred Day becomes his 41st stakes-winner.

Advertisment
More Reading...
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).
Wootton Bassett and Camelot 2YO Colts Win Final French Group Ones
The last French Group I races of their flat season were run on Sunday and Aidan O’Brien produced the winners of both the Group I Criterium International (1600m) and Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m).
Oaks Contender for OTI
Group One performer Aloisia will be set for a potentially lucrative spring campaign after impressing OTI Racing Director Terry Henderson in her trial at Sandown on Thursday.
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.
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
First SW for Azamour Mare
Matamata mare Polly Grey scored her biggest career victory when she stormed to a convincing victory in Saturday’s Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup (1600m).
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
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.
Sires With Winners - Sunday October 26
Here is the full list of 74 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
From FNQ To Sha Tin - Aussie Bred Sprinter Wins G2 Premier Bowl
Some horses arrive in Hong Kong with a very different back story - Fresh from winning the $20million The Everest with Ka Ying Rising, David Hayes was back in the winner’s list at Sha Tin on Sunday when Tomodachi Kokoroe won the Group II Premier Bowl (1200m).