Poser provides special start to big week for Pertab

Media Release - Sunday November 13

With his second Ready to Run Sale draft about to go through the Karaka sale ring, Matamata horseman Kurtis Pertab could hardly have hoped for a better start to one of his most important weeks of the year.

Pertab celebrated his second career success as a trainer on Saturday at Tauranga, saddling Poser for an impressive victory by two and a half lengths. But the circumstances surrounding the Ocean Park mare’s big win made this result particularly memorable.

Matamata horseman Kurtis Pertab at Tauranga on Saturday Photo: Trish Dunell

“That was a special result considering what she’s been through,” Pertab said. “She was bred and raced by Mary Chittick, and we broke her in as a yearling and gave her four trials and her first race.

“After that, the plan was always that she would go to Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall – that’s where Mary usually sends her horses. She raced fairly for that stable, but then ended up being leased down to Andrew Carston in the South Island and never showed anything down there.

Advertisement

“They sacked her and put her up on Gavelhouse, and I was able to buy her back for $500.

“That was her first start for me, 260 days after she last raced, and it’s two years since she originally left our stable. So that was really satisfying. It’s always good when things come together like that.”

The son of respected horseman Paul Pertab, Kurtis had his first winner with Stuff Of Dreams in late September.

“I have about 25 horses in work right now,” he said. “We do a lot of breaking in and pre-training, and we also trial and sell about a dozen horses a year. But then it’s nice to have a couple of others alongside them that we can race and have a bit of fun with.”

Pertab offered his first Ready to Run Sale draft in November of last year, selling six of the nine two-year-olds he offered. He netted a total of $405,000 and average of $67,500, with a top price of $150,000 for a son of Sacred Falls.

“I was pretty happy to come away with six out of nine sold from my first draft,” Pertab said. “Obviously we couldn’t get to Karaka for the sale last year, so I’m really looking forward to that this time around. I’m actually driving up that way right now (on Sunday afternoon). It’s something I can’t wait to experience.”

Pertab will offer a six-strong draft this year and is pleased with the depth and variety on offer. Among them is Lot 211, a Sacred Falls colt who is closely related to Darci Brahma and Burgundy and was bought by Pertab for $32,500 from Book 1 of Karaka 2022 in March.

“I’m stoked with how this year’s draft is shaping up,” Pertab said. “The whole lot of them breezed up in under 10.7 seconds, so I couldn’t be happier with that result.

“There’s some exciting sires represented, with Astern kicking goals in Australia at the moment, Sweynesse getting some good winners in Hong Kong, and Sacred Falls obviously needs no introduction. I think it’s a nice, balanced draft that will hopefully appeal to a few buyers.”

The 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale will be held at Karaka on Wednesday and Thursday, with selling kicking off at 11am each day. NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Thursday November 21
Here is the full list of 32 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Blockbuster Sale as NZB Ready to Run Records Tumble
Expectations were exceeded at Karaka with tremendous results witnessed across two days of selling at NZB’S 2024 Ready to Run Sale, confirming the demand for proven racetrack results and quality New Zealand-prepared horses.
$2,000 Gavelhouse Bargain Keeps on Winning!
The Grey Goose continued to belie her purchase price last start when recording her fifth win at Wingatui, bringing her career earnings to more than $225,000.
Castelvecchio Out for Remainder of Season
Aeliana’s late charge into second place in the $1.5million Group I MRC Thousand Guineas last Saturday stamped her as the filly to follow out of the race, but it wasn’t quite enough to put her sire Castelvecchio to the top of the second season sires list and he is now out of service at Arrowfield following surgery last week.
One to Watch – Hawkesbury
Castelvecchio has gone from nowhere to somewhere during the course of this spring with three stakes-winners putting his name in lights and he had a promising three year-old colt salute at Hawkesbury on Thursday that has now won two of three starts.
$1.3million Snitzel Colt Ready to Fire on Debut for Te Akau
Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are confident they have the young firepower to make an early impression in the first of the black type features at Pukekohe Park on Saturday.
Churchill Colt Pulls Off Stunning Pinhooking Result at NZB Ready To Run
Chad Ormsby has enjoyed plenty of racetrack success this year with pinhooks that he has been unable to sell at the Ready to Run Sale, but the multi-talented horseman had a very different outcome with the standout member of his 2024 Riverrock Farm draft at Karaka on Thursday.
City of Troy Crowned 2024 Cartier European Horse of the Year
Outstanding Justify colt City of Troy was crowned Horse of the Year at the 2024 Cartier awards on Wednesday night in London at a star studded ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel.
Luberon Heads Cambridge Stud Saturday Charge
Lance Noble will attempt to add to a strong run of spring form for Cambridge Stud when he sends out five well-credentialled runners in Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s black and gold colours at Pukekohe on Saturday.
Ka Ying Rising connection draws Hayes team to Shamexpress at Karaka
With one of the world’s most exciting sprinters flying the flag for David Hayes in Hong Kong, it has been no surprise to see the trainer’s sons zeroing in on progeny of Windsor Park Stud stallion Shamexpress during the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka this week.