3 Win Wednesday - Dancarina Waltzes Home

Continuing outstanding form by the stable, Dancarina (5 m Sebring – Dance for Me, by Commands) richly deserved her victory in the $18,500 Rating 75 1200 metres on 6 September at Avondale.

Performing solidly with two seconds and a third, before suffering a cardiac arrhythmia at her previous start, Dancarina bounced back in the best way possible to record her third win for owners in the Fortuna Dancarina Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin).

The win provided trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson with their third on the programme, following My Lips Are Sealed (Ace High) and Fon Memories (Eminent), each by emerging young sires, and fresh from a record-breaking 203 wins in 2022/23, the 10 wins inside a week has already propelled the new partnership to 20 winners since 1 August.

Ridden by stable apprentice Niranjan Parmar (a2), who is also reeling in the winners, Dancarina was caught on a limb in the early rush for positions before slotting in fourth and the talented mare quickened appreciably when asked to extend inside the 300m. 

On Heavy10 footing in the race sponsored by Magness Mighty Steam Train, she scored comfortably by half a length, running the 1200 metres in 1:16.9, and returned $7.20 & $2.80 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“It was a good tough effort after working early in the race and another nice ride from Parmar, who is riding in such good form,” Walker said.

“We’ll have to see what the handicapper does with her in the way of rating points, as far as working out a campaign going forward, but in the back of our minds we feel that she’s a mare capable of getting black type.

“It’s always great to train winners for John Galvin and his Fortuna owners and they’ve been having a good run lately, including the first two-year-old winner this season, Bellatrix Star, last Saturday at Wanganui.”

Dancarina was purchased as yearling by Fortuna Racing and David Ellis CNZM for $100,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Widden Stud. 

By top-class Australian two-year-old and Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m) winner Sebring (Danehill), sire of 129 stakes winners, among over 2300 wins, including 18 Group Ones, while dam Dance for Me (Commands) won twice to 1400 metres in Australia, from a good winning family that included third dam, Champion 2YO Filly in NZ, Ballroom Babe (Citidancer).

“It’s been a year since she won last time, but she hasn’t had many starts since and had been performing well before the hiccup last time out where the race day vet said she took a long time to recover,” Galvin said.

“She was absolutely fine on the Monday after she’d raced on Saturday at Te Rapa. It’s very pleasing to see her win again and we had a really good turnout of owners.

“I did have some reservations and wasn't overly confident of her handling what was pretty testing ground, but knowing the tactics were to be positive from the gate was going to be helpful and she was either going to handle the ground or not like it.

“She did it nicely in the end and Parmar rode her well, and Mark (Walker) and I will have a chat about what we do next with her. 

“This time last year we were talking about black type targets for her, before she had a surgery, and hopefully she can gain some stakes race form at some stage. She has always shown ability.”

Dancarina was strapped by Zoe Ashworth. 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz