A
half-brother to a Group I winner from a Group I winner, promising Dalghar (Fr)
three year old Gauguin is bred to be well above average and gave every
indication that was the case when scoring a stylish victory at Warwick Farm on
Wednesday.
A close second on debut at Warwick Farm last month, the James Cummings trained
Gauguin was favourite for the 1400 metre maiden and jumped straight to the
front to lead all the way and win by half a length.
"It's hard to be ultra-impressive at the finish when you're three-quarters
of a length outside the leader and have to be rustled up early," Cummings
said.
"Clearly the horse has got plenty to learn but he's promising and we think
he will get over a trip.
"As we're getting closer to the autumn, these three-year-old races usually
reveal some promising horses and there's a good plan in place for him so
hopefully he can keep stepping up and delivering."
That plan is likely to include races such as the Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas (2000m)
and ATC Australian Derby (2400m).
An $85,000 NZB Premier purchase for DGR Thoroughbreds/ Cummings/ Cummings from
the Brighthill Farm draft, Gauguin runs for a diverse syndicate of owners that
includes Sir Patrick Hogan, Gooree Stud, Think Big Stud, John and Anne
McDonnell of Sebring fame, Matthew Sandblom and Julia Ritchie's Bangaloe Stud
"Duncan Ramage (DGR Thoroughbreds) got together a group of people to invest in
stayers and this horse was one of the yearlings we bought," Cummings added.
Gauguin is a half-brother to South African Group I winner Mac de Lago and is
the fourth winner from Group I winning Vettori (IRE) mare Macavelli Miss.
A half-brother by renowned shuttle sire Anabaa to champion racehorses and
successful sires Daylami and Dalakhani( who shuttled to Cornerstone Stud), Brighthill
Farm's Dalghar was a brilliant Group III winning sprinter miler that set a
course record at Longchamp for 1400 metres.
He is making a good impression with his oldest New Zealand bred runners now
three year-olds that include the stakes-winner Astara and smart winners such as
Golden Organic.
Dalghar has two entries for the 2017 NZB Premier Yearling Sale and 12 for the
Select Yearling Sale.