Pacific Coast(s) Home

Pacific Coast (4 g Snitzel - Malibu Road, by Malibu Moon) made it three wins from eight starts with a last-ditch effort in the $11,000 Ssangyong Rating 72 1200 metres on 5 December at Pukekohe.

A comprehensive second-up winner over 1200 metres in October at Tauranga, he ran home solidly for fifth at his second start up in grade on 10 November at Te Rapa, and inch-perfect judgement by rider Opie Bosson enabled his latest success.

Away well before steadying to fifth on a genuine pace passing the 800m, Pacific Coast stood the leader five lengths at the 600m and always appeared to be closing with a telling finish in the straight.

“He tends to go a bit hard in his races, but he relaxed beautifully today,” Bosson said.

On footing rated Dead6, Pacific Coast ran the 1200m in a very respectable 1:10.7 and returned $6.00 & $2.00 fixed odds on the NZ TAB.

Owned by the Te Akau 2016 Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM) that raced 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Embellish (Savabeel), Pacific Coast required gelding and had a bone chip removed from a fetlock after one start as a two-year-old, and patient handling by trainer Jamie Richards has reaped rewards.

“He finished the race off really well, has established a good horses record and I can see him going to the next level,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis.

“I bought him off Coolmore Stud, who bred the horse, and his brand is 777 which is the number plate on John Magnier's car who owns Coolmore.

“The syndicate experienced Group One success with Embellish and it's exciting as we look forward to him standing at stud. He's a fantastic looking horse, has a great pedigree, showed at his best that he had any amount of ability on the track, and of course he's a son of Savabeel.”

Ellis also alluded to a busy time upcoming for the stable.

“Pacific Coast was our only runner at Pukekohe, but we've got twenty horses earmarked to race in the next four days. Six horses racing at Taranaki, eight at Matamata, three at Ellerslie and two at Trentham, Saturday, and one on Sunday at Waipukurau.”

Boasting a lovely Danzig influence on each side of his pedigree, Pacific Coast is from a family that oozes group performers.

His third dam, Blush with Pride (Blushing Groom), won the Kentucky Derby and the family includes Belmont Stakes winners Rags to Riches (A. P. Indy) and Jazil (Seeking the Gold).

Plenty of stamina through the third dam is offset further up in the pedigree, with his sire Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) being a powerful sprint influence that has also seen his quality stretch to Cox Plate (Gr. 1, 2040m) winner Shamus Award (Snitzel).

“I thought it was a nice win and a good effort by Opie to lift him over the final stages,” said trainer Jamie Richards. “He's a horse by Snitzel that looked like he might just be a sprinter, but he got a bit one-dimensional with the blinkers on, so we took those off and wanted to ride him off the pace. The way he raced suggests he can get 1400 (metres).

“He's pleased us recently in training and the owners have been patient, letting us take our time with him. He went to the water walker for a week after his last run and freshened up nicely for the 1200m. Hopefully he can take the step up in grade and he has the confidence now to maybe have his next start over 1400m. The team is doing a good job with him and he stripped in really good order.”

Pacific Coast was strapped by Teina Walters.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz