Ellerslie Double - What A Charmer

Dave & Nicky Hurst celebrated a terrific moment on Premier Day at Ellerslie, when Charmrose (5 m Charm Spirit – Sovereign Rose, by Pins) resumed with victory in the $55,000 TAB Rating 65 1100 metres.

Placed in two of four starts before winning over 1200 metres in January at Wanganui, Charmrose was beaten by only a nose in her only previous course attempt. 

“I’m thrilled for Dave and Nicky, who have been such loyal supporters of Te Akau for many years,” said principal David Ellis CNZM.

“They’ve just returned from overseas, so didn’t get to Ellerslie, but they keep their mares at Te Akau Stud and bred this lovely mare.

“The first syndicate they came into was King’s Chapel, who won the equivalent race that is now the Karaka Millions, the 2000 Guineas, Telegraph, three Group One races, and was New Zealand Horse of the Year as well as Champion 3YO and Champion Sprinter Miler of that same year, before standing at stud.

“They were also in one of our Champion Two-Year-Olds, Maroofity, who also won three Group One races, and Costa Viva who won the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas and was named New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.

“They’re farmers from the Bay of Plenty, absolutely wonderful people, who have been fantastic owners for a long period of time and it’s great to see Sovereign Rose produce a really nice mare for them. Their son Craig also races horses with us.

“It shows that the cross has worked really well with the Windsor Park stallion Charm Spirit. Out of another mare, Seductive D’Oro, They’ve got a nice yearling by Sword Of State out of another mare Seductive D'Oro. 

"Sword of State was a Champion Two-Year-Old for us and he's flying in his stud duties at Cambridge Stud, where he has a full book already. Of course he had a 2YO filly on debut win a stakes' race in Victoria last week too.”

After flying the gates to lead, Charmrose travelled beautifully for Te Akau's Australian apprentice jockey Sage Duric (a4), found plenty in the straight to establish a two-length advantage and kept going strongly. 

“It’s really satisfying, unreal, and I can’t thank the team enough,” said Duric, the daughter of four-time (2017–2020) Singapore Champion Jockey Vlad Duric. 

“Mark (Walker) has supported me so much since I arrived in January in Melbourne, and Sam, Reece, Mikey, and the whole team at Matamata. They’ve been wonderful since I got here and I’m very grateful.

“They’re great to work for, they’ve got a lot of really nice horses, so it’s nice to come here and get on decent horses.

“Dad rode a lot for Mark, when he was training for Te Akau in Singapore. It’s a bit of a full circle moment and I’m really grateful to be a part of it. Dad is a huge influence on my career and he messages me everyday about it, and he’s my biggest supporter. He wants me to do well and I’m really grateful to him.”

On Good4 footing, Charmrose ran 1100 metres in a polished 1:04.0, last 600m in 34.2, and paid $6.10 & $2.40 on the NZ TAB tote.

On course, co-trainer Sam Bergerson said: “It was a good, positive, ride by Sage because she’s not an easy horse.

“But she’d worked really well leading into the race and she’s got a good fresh-up record. She’d been beaten by a lip on a couple of occasions and it was good to be on the right side of the ledger.”

“Four kilos off to carry 53.5kg really helped, too, and great to see Sage get a result like this on such a big day. She came over from the stable at Cranbourne, works really hard and settled in nicely.”

While on course with the Te Akau horses at Caulfield, Mark Walker added: “It was a really good win and great for Sage to get a winner on a big day at Ellerslie.

“She rode her beautifully and great for Dave and Nicky Hurst to have bred her out of a pretty well performed mare (Sovereign Rose) that we had in the stable.

“They’ve been great friends and clients of Te Akau for many years, and have raced such great horses at King’s Chapel and Maroofity and Costa Viva. I’m sure the win will bring a huge smile to their faces, especially given they bred her as well.” 

Bred and owned by Dave & Nicky Hurst, Charmrose is out of Sovereign Rose (Pins), who was purchased for them by David Ellis CNZM as a yearling at Karaka, and she won four times from 1600m – 2100m.

Like Charmrose, Sovereign Rose recorded her first win as a four-year-old and carried on winning until she was six.

Sovereign Rose is from Pavan (Centaine), who finished second to million-dollar earner Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon) in the 1998 Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), and was also runner-up in the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2000m). 

Pavan left seven individual winners of 31 races, including eight-time winner Yours (Van Nistelrooy), while also being a half-sister to talented stakes' winning mare Felenic (Cape Cross).

The family has also left top Australian galloper Spacecraft (Star Way), winner of ten races.

Charmrose was strapped by Rhiannon Smith. 

Photo credit - Kenton Wright - www.raceimages.co.nz