Feature Win for Verry Elleegant Brother

Media Release - Saturday July 27

Trainer Nick Bishara capped off a wonderful 2018/19 racing season with a winning double at Rotorua on Saturday including taking out the day's feature event, the RSA Taumarunui Gold Cup (2200m) with Verry Flash.

Verry Flash - Trish DunnellFresh from taking out the race prior to the feature with promising four-year-old mare Cherry Lane, Bishara was confident he could make it a winning double with Verry Flash who had finished an unlucky third at Te Rapa in his most recent run.

Bishara retained his faith in apprentice Rebecca Scott who was aboard that day and she repaid Bishara with a heady ride that saw her sit patiently near the rear throughout before improving into a challenging position with 700m to run.

Verry Flash loomed into contention early in the run home and proved too strong in the final stages as he defeated Opaki visitor Strolling Vagabond with race favourite Obsessive close up in third.

Bishara, who has more than doubled his previous best tally of wins in a season along with experiencing Group One glory as an owner through star three-year-old filly Verry Elleegant, was all smiles after the race.

"It's just terrific to win the Taumarunui Cup as a lot of my relatives started out in the area," Bishara said.

"I'm sure they will all be popping out of the woodwork tonight."

Considered talented enough to take his place in this season's Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m), Verry Flash vindicated Bishara's high opinion of his staying talent with the victory.

"It was probably a year too soon for the Auckland Cup, but he was going so good we thought we had to have a crack," he said.

"He was always going to be a good stayer and he is still on the way up, which is the scary thing.

Advertisement

"We will put him aside now for a couple of months and then try and get some black-type with him.

"He will probably run fresh-up in the Karaka Classic (Listed 1600m) in September and then come back to Rotorua for the Listed 1950m race in October."

The victory also provided a pivotal career moment for Scott who is still eligible to claim a three-kilogram apprentice allowance.

"I knew he could win the race, I just had to ride him properly and he gave me his all out there," Scott said.

"I wanted to be a little bit handier when we jumped but he managed to creep up on the inside and he just made gaps himself as he was travelling that well.

"He is a really good stayer in the making as I could hardly pull him up after the line as he wanted to go around again."

Verry Flash is the older brother of multiple Group One winner, Verry Elleegant, and has now won six of his 22 career starts for owner-breeder Don Goodwin and Bishara. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Pedigree Watch – Juvenile Stakes-Winners
Three new season juvenile stakes races on Saturday produced a $1million yearling purchase that gave Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside the perfect start to his stud career, a pinhook winner turned stakes-winner and a colt foaled in Australia with a Kiwi pedigree.
McGaw Firms For Coolmore Stud Stakes After G2 Danehill Win
Considered an outside chance in betting markets, Emma-Lee and David Browne’s I Am Immortal gelding McGaw dented the reputation of a few leading Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes contenders with a fighting win in the $300,000 Gr2 VRC Danehill Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on Saturday.
War Machine Stakes Everest Claim - G2 Gilgai
David Hayes has a New Zealand-bred superstar heading into the A$20 million Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) in two weeks, where his sons Ben, Will and JD Hayes might line up against him with a Kiwi-bred Group One winner of their own.
Star Kiwi Bred Mare Verry Ellegant Ready for Return
Dual Group One winner Verry Elleegant is one of four Chris Waller-trained gallopers nominated for Saturday’s Group I Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, joining stablemates Unforgotten, Youngstar and Kings Will Dream.
Media World Adds to Millionaire Yearling Stakes Success
Stakes racing on Saturday produced a number of stakes-winners purchased for seven figures as yearlings in Australia with $1.8million Inglis Easter sale-topper Autumn Glow leading the way in the Group I ATC Epsom after earlier success for $1million 2YO Incognito, while at Flemington $1.4million entire Media World took out the Listed VRC Paris Lane Stakes (1400m).
First Stakes Horse for Home Affairs
The Group III ATC Breeders Plate (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday attracted a strong field of talented colts from the recent official 2YO trials in Sydney and Home Affairs looks to have a quality youngster in I’m Ya Huckleberry.
Zed Gelding Wins G3 Metric Mile
Talented winter galloper Herengawe came of age at Awapuni on Saturday when he out-toughed his rivals to score his first win at stakes level when he took out the Group III Boehringer Ingelheim Metric Mile (1600m).
Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup? - Verry Elleegant Back On Track
Champion trainer Chris Waller will sit down with connections to determine whether to target the Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup with the four-year-old mare Verry Elleegant who scored a last stride win over the oh so gallant Samadoubt in Saturday’s Group II Hill Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 4
Here is the full list of 119 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Chase scores sentimental win at Otaki
Johnathan Parkes has had many memorable wins throughout his riding career, but his victory aboard Chase at Otaki on Thursday would feature right up there sentimentally.