The dominance of New Zealand-bred three-year-olds in Australia this season continued with an impressive win by Volatile Mix (NZ) (Pentire) in Saturday's A$600,000 Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville – a story that began in the Karaka sale ring almost a decade ago.
The Derby winner's dam Utopia (NZ) (High Chaparral) was bought for $170,000 by Bruce Perry Bloodstock at the 2008 Premier Sale.
She herself went on to win two races, and she picked up black type with a second placing in the Group 3 Manawatu Classic.
Her first foal is Volatile Mix, bred and raced by Graham and Linda Huddy and racing in the stable of champion trainer Darren Weir. Ridden by John Allen, he stormed home from well back in the field and raced past fellow Kiwi-bred Odeon (NZ) (Zacinto) and Ruthven (Domesday) to score by half a length. Another New Zealand-bred, the filly Savvy Dreams (NZ) (Savabeel), was fourth.
Volatile Mix has now had nine starts for three wins, two placings and more than A$400,000 in prize-money.
New Zealand-bred three-year-olds have enjoyed extraordinary success in recent months. New Zealand Derby winner Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj), a graduate of the Weanling and Ready to Run Sales, began the sequence with victory in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas in late March. Select Sale graduate Jon Snow (NZ) (Iffraaj) then took out the Group 1 Australian Derby, and a week later the Group 1 Australian Oaks was won by his Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained stablemate Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi) – a graduate of the Premier Sale.
Ready to Run Sale graduate Mongolian Wolf (NZ) (Pluck) also won a Group 3 event in Sydney during the autumn carnival, and Shocking Luck (NZ) (Shocking) – whose dam cost just $5,000 at the Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka – emerged as a leading Queensland Derby contender with a runaway win in Saturday's Group 3 Rough Habit Plate at Doomben.
NZB Release
