4 Win Saturday - Powerful Indeed

Continuing winning form, Balance Of Power (4 g Almanzor – Respin, by Power) won the $40,000 Rating 75 2000 metres in decisive fashion on Saturday at New Plymouth.

Balance Of Power had made it two wins from his last three starts when stretching out with plenty of conviction in the Rating 75 2000 metres on 15 February at Matamata, and increased 2.5kg to carry 58.5kg in the corresponding event. 

Beautifully ridden by Jonathan Riddell, who earlier finished second on resuming stable-mate When Stars Align (Zoustar), Balance Of Power secured a lovely spot behind the leaders, was sent to challenge rounding the home turn, and got away over the concluding stages after arresting the lead 100m out. 

In the race named Multi Ethnic – Pasifika, Balance Of Power ran 2000 metres in 2:03.1 on Soft5 footing and paid $4.10 & $1.60 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“It was another really good win, today, and he’s starting to string it together now,” said Mark Walker, who trains with Sam Bergerson.

“Jonathan (Riddell) positioned him perfectly and produced him at the right time, which is what you’d expect from such an experienced jockey like him. He’s had a fair bit of success in the tangerine silks and we’re always happy to have him on. 

“On the back of his recent wins, we think this horse might be a light-weight chance in the Hawkes Bay Cup.”

The $120,000 Hawkes Bay Cup (Listed, 2200m) is set down for Saturday 12 April at Otaki.

“It’s amazing how winning gives a horse confidence and we’re seeing that with Balance Of Power winning three of his last four starts and running his races out strongly over 2000 metres,” Walker said.

“He’s the sort of horse, with another year on him, that could make a nice Cups horse.”

Owned by J O Anderson, DJ Bloodstock Partnership, M K Durling, GN & CM Bloodstock Ltd, J F & Mrs P L Hepburn, C W Kwok, R Lau, T N Simpson, Te Akau Stud & Westonlea Bloodstock, he was bought by David Ellis CNZM for $300,000, at the 2022 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Cambridge Stud. 

A lovely type of horse, correct and a good mover, with plenty of substance, Balance Of Power is by one of the best credentialed stallions shuttled to New Zealand in the last decade. Almanzor (Wotton Bassett) was European Champion Three-Year-Old and claimed the same titles in Ireland and France. He now stands permanently at Cambridge Stud.

From his first crop of yearlings, in 2021 at Karaka, Ellis purchased Dynastic for Te Akau 2021 Stallion Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), rewarding everyone at his second start when becoming the sixth of eight Karaka Million 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m) winners for the stable.

The dam of Balance Of Power, Respin, by talented sire Power (Oasis Dream), displayed very good racing attributes in a short career, which included winning the NZB Insurance Stakes (Listed, 1600m). She is a half-sister to Dame Margo Fonteyn (High Chaparral), trained by Te Akau and a mare with good ability that won two of her six starts. 

Third dam, Dancing Forever, impressed winning four times up to 2000 metres and showed plenty of athleticism and a great turn of foot. Proving herself as a broodmare, she left six individual winners of 13 races. 

Te Akau has also had success this season with Almanzor mare Mehzebeen, when she recorded a winning double in the Metropolitan Trophy (Listed, 2600m) and New Zealand Cup (Gr. 3, 3200m) during Cup Week in November at Riccarton.

While last season, Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) son Nucleozor won all three starts, including the Welcome Stakes (Listed, 1000m), on his way to becoming South Island Champion Two-Year-Old, before selling to Hong Kong, and his stable-mate and older sister Qali Al Farrasha placed in both the Sunline Vase (Gr. 3, 2100m) and New Zealand Oaks (Gr. 1, 2400m) last season, and most recently finished runner-up in both the Thorndon Mile (Gr. 1, 1600m) and Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (Gr. 1, 1600m), before finishing third in the $1m Bonecrusher Stakes (Gr. 1, 2000m) on Saturday at Ellerslie. 

Balance Of Power was strapped by Errol (Egg Roll) Rich.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.com