Ace Flies in Winning Debut

Two wins again the order of the day at Wingatui as Darci Brahma gelding Our Flying Ace lived up to his name on debut ...

Following a nice trial win on 28 August at Te Teko, Our Flying Ace (3 g Darci Brahma - Aterballetto, by Stravinsky) debuted with an impressive victory in the $10,000 Hector & Alice Anderton Maiden 1200 metres on 13 September at Wingatui.

Purchased by David Ellis for $140,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, he is owned by the Te Akau Flying Ace Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

From the classy Pencarrow Stud family of Group Two & Three winner Rasa Lila (Darci Brahma) and Group Three winner Posavina (Tiger Hill), Our Flying Ace has the pedigree to stretch over more distance but also showed a speed component which saw him easily negate the outside barrier (11).

On the job wide out to breast up outside the leader at the 800m, the response was immediate when Shafiq asked him extend in the straight and he quickly put a space on his rivals to win easing down by nearly three lengths.

As is always the case, whether it be equine or human athlete, acceleration sorts the elite out from the rest and in the case of Our Flying Ace he certainly appears to have a turn of foot. And, like his stable-mate In A Twinkling (Fastnet Rock), who won a day beforehand at Matamata, he too has a nomination for the $500,000 Al Basti 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) on 10 November at Riccarton.

Our Flying Ace ran the 1200 metres on Slow8 footing in 1:15.4, last 600m in 37, and another favourite that justified his $2.20 & $1.40 tote odds.

“He's a big, strong horse and he has plenty of ability,” Shafiq said. “He will be improved by the win today. I got a good sectional from the 800m to the 600m and when I put the stick on his behind in the straight he kept going strongly to the line. He will step over 1400 metres and over 1600 metres as he goes on.”

The win took both trainer and rider into an outright lead in their respective premierships, with Jamie Richards having trained 11 from 24 runners at a strike rate of 2.1, and Shafiq gaining his 11^th win for the season, including two stakes wins aboard the current ‘Queen of the Turf' Melody Belle (Commands).

“He was a very good value horse at the sales that really took our eye, with his Darci Brahma influence and from a Stravinsky mare,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis. “Stravinsky is doing a terrific job as a broodmare sire, and through Nureyev (Northern Dancer) the bloodlines in this horse are just exceptional.

“It was a really impressive win, I thought, because he drew the outside, had to be used up to get up outside the leader and he could have won by five lengths.

“The family from Pencarrow Stud just shows what good breeders they are and we've had huge success with their families. You cannot go wrong buying a yearling with a V in the box (brand).”

Not a quick horse to sell, Ellis was again reminded of the fact that some of the last horses to be sold often turn out for the best.

“Interestingly enough, Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) owns twenty percent in that horse because we just couldn't sell him,” Ellis said. “He was probably the last to sell that year.

“He was a lovely yearling and I remember going to Bill Taylor, who had a share in Gingernuts, just after he won the Derby. I said: 'I've got a really nice racehorse in the making at home that you should take a share in', and Bill took half, so good on him.

“Jamie (Richards) said to me a month ago that he was working like a horse that was going places and he was spot on, and luckily some of the owners backed him yesterday at $40 to 1 for the Guineas.

Our Flying Ace was strapped by Meg Lambert, who reported after the race: “He's a real stunner of a horse and it's a great start for him. He came home really well and it was a great ride by Shafiq. We're really lucky to have a rider like him. He's a beautiful mover and has shown potential”.