Trelawney Stud enjoyed a stellar Saturday with a stakes double at Hastings following results to savour in Australia.
The Cambridge nursery bred and races the Listed Royston Hospital Hawke's Bay Cup (2200m) winner Richie McHorse and they share in the ownership of Indecision, who boosted her value with victory in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Finance Sprint (1200m).
Stud graduate Ocean Knight had earlier made a perfect debut with victory at Caulfield while Chequered Flag added to the winning tally at Morphettville.
"Chequered Flag is a horse we've got with a few others who we raced Solzhenitsyn (a dual Group One winner) with," Trelawney's Cherry Taylor said. "It's been a great day."
Ocean Park colt Ocean Knight, a grandson of the Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) winner La Bella Dama, was sold through their Premier Sale draft at Karaka last year for $115,000. He is trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.
Richie McHorse is a son of Redoute's Choice and he emulated the feat of his mother Boundless, a Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner, who won the Cup in 2010.
"Richie went to the Ready to Rale Sale, but nobody was interested in him," Taylor said. "We liked him and he's my favourite – (husband) Brent and I bred and raced his mother."
Richie McHorse was originally trained by Team Rogerson, but after surgery for knee issues Graeme Rogerson advised a change of environment.
"He said the only place to train him was on the sand," Taylor said.
The five-year-old has responded positively in the Ruakaka operation of Chris Gibbs and his win on Saturday was his third this preparation.
Rider Jake Bayliss settled him at the tail of the field and they powered home down the outside to beat Our Abbadean and Hunta Pence.
Bayliss adopted contrasting tactics aboard the Tony Pike-trained Indecision, who jumped to the front and was never headed for the fourth win of her 14-start career. By Per Incanto, she is a half-sister to the dual Group One winner Viadanna and was a $260,000 yearling purchase.
"It was a big step up in class for her, we thought we might sneak a bit of black type and she's won very impressively," Taylor said. – NZ Racing Desk.