Awapuni Double - Stonybreck Season Win 190

Strongly supported ($1.50) Stonybreck (3 g Tavistock - Fair Isle, by Fastnet Rock) became the 190^th win this season for trainer Mark Walker in the $14,000 Whisker Forestry Rating 75 1200 metres on 16 June at Awapuni.

Walker, who for the third time set a national record for wins in a season when Fellini (Belardo) won in April at Pukekohe, to surpass the domestic record (160) set by previous Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards in 2020/21, also achieved his 100^th domestic stakes' success when Aromatic (Sacred Falls) won the Counties Cup (Gr. 2, 2100m) in November, and notched the fastest 100 wins in a season when Pure Imagination (Darci Brahma) won on 13 January at Tauranga.

The win took Te Akau's stakes won in New Zealand alone for the season to a record-breaking sum of $8,004,183. Add to this nearly $1 million won in Australia by horses such as Group 1 William Reid winner Imperatriz campaigning there during the season, it's been a bumper season for Te Akau owners.  Underpinning this remarkable tally is a strike rate of 6.3 which is a brilliant figure for any major stable.

Stonybreck, who held the course record for a time with his debut win over 970 metres on the poly-track at Cambridge, now holds another poly-track record after running 1200 metres in 1:09.5.

Having closed nicely for third without much room in a trial on 26 May at Waipa, Stonybreck had weight relief to 54.5kg under Te Akau apprentice Niranjan Parmar (a2), who made it back-to-back wins after scoring in the previous race aboard stable-mate Redsheis (Burgundy), and won as a race favourite should.

Making an early race assessment, to avoid being boxed in from barrier one, Parmar eased to fifth before getting off the rail, urged his charge into contention at the 400m, and strode clear late to win stylishly. 

“It was a really good fresh-up effort and a lovely, intelligent, performance by Parmar,” Walker said. “When they went to slacken the speed, he saw it coming and he was out, off the fence, and up and around them before they even knew.

“It was a brilliant ride and the winning of the race. He's a horse that is starting to mature now, get a bit stronger, and he's relaxing so much better too.”

Now the winner of three races from eight starts, Stonybreck was purchased for $20,000 by Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM, from the draft of Pencarrow Stud, at the 2021 Karaka Book 1 Sale, and is owned by Te Akau Northern Scotland Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

“He was a bargain from a really good Pencarrow Stud family of Sir Peter Vela, and is beautifully bred,” Ellis said. 

“We were actually so taken with him that I went back the following year, in 2022, and bought his half-sister by the Triple Crown winner Justify. 

“We had a good look at her and really liked what we saw. She cost a bit more, $190,000, but is from a family with deep black type pedigree and quality. She's named Star of Justice, and she recorded a strong trials' win in April at Avondale, and is preparing to trial again on 1 August at Te Rapa.”

By Tavistock (Montjeu), a noted sire of international Derby winners that added terrific quality to the New Zealand stallion ranks, Stonybreck is from a mare by Champion Sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill) who won over 1600 metres in Australia.

Stonybreck has a mouth-watering dam line: grand-dam Miss Scarlatti (Stravinsky) won a listed race and also strung together second placed finishes in the Norman Robinson (Gr. 3, 2000m), Wakefield Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m), and VRC Oaks (Gr. 1, 2500m) in the space of three starts as a three-year-old.

Her half-sister, Abidewithme (Redoute's Choice), was trained by Te Akau to record nine wins, including the Travis Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m), Tauranga Stakes (Gr. 2, 1600m), and three times Group One placed. 

Third dam Crimson (Zabeel), an impressive winner and Third Top Filly on the NZ 3YO Free Handicaps, was trained by Jim Gibbs before transferring to Bart Cummings during the latter stages of her career. 

Also a winner fresh-up as a three-year-old, Crimson went on to produce outstanding form through the Spring, winning the Waikato Guineas (Gr. 3, 1600m) and finishing second in the Avondale Guineas (Gr. 2, 2000m), before victory in the Grosvenor Championship Stakes (Gr. 2, 2100m) at Ellerslie. 

Crimson left winners of fourteen races, while her dam, Bourbon Lassie (Mellay) also produced the stallion Omnicorp (Grosvenor).

Stonybreck was strapped by Cooper Stumbles. 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz