Second of the Day - Fab Foreigner

A standout in the birdcage prior to the race, Foreigner (3 g Savabeel - Pins On Ice, by Pins) did it hard before getting the measure of stable-mate Scarlet Princess (Redwood) right on the line to win the Lime Caffeteria Maiden 1400 metres on 27 December at Rotorua.

A lovely type of horse, good bodied, with size and strength, Foreigner gave rider Opie Bosson a hat-trick of winners, all by Savabeel (Zabeel), following victories aboard Hall of Fame and Splurge on Boxing Day at Ellerslie, continued his one-hundred percent record since reuniting with Te Akau as leading stable rider and also notched his third win on the eight race card.

Gelded and freshened since last racing on 13 November at Waverley, with four starts yielding two seconds and two fourths, Foreigner ($4.00 fixed), a late mover in the betting market to $3.40, resumed off 44 days and had visor blinkers removed for the race, and Scarlet Princess ($7.00 fixed, $8.50 tote) had rounded off solidly for fifth on debut over 1200 metres, after meeting an untimely check 400 metres out, at Matamata.

While Scarlet Princess secured a far more economical trip in fourth, Foreigner coursed wide in midfield, and it was Scarlet Princess who got the jump on her stable-mate when quickening to a handy advantage at the 200m but Foreigner got in the deciding stride after the pair settled down to battle inside the 100m.

They drew clear of their rivals, with the winning margin being half a head, by two and a half lengths, in 1:23.7 for the 1400 metres on Dead4 going.

“It was a pretty good effort by both of them to get clear of the others, but the winner, it's his second prep and his heart's in the right place now, although we won't push him,” said Stephen Autridge, who trains the horses with Jamie Richards.

“She (Scarlet Princess) showed a good turn of foot to put a few lengths on them, but he (Foreigner) was just too good and got over the top but he had to dig deep.  Cameron (Lammas) couldn't have done much more on the filly and Opie said the big horse, probably the biggest horse that went around today, is ready to step up in distance.”

Carrying the WS (Waikato Stud) brand, Foreigner was purchased as a yearling for $150,000 by Max Whitby (Whitby Bloodstock) at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, and he shares the ownership with Neil Werrett, who part-owned Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), and Bryan Rutter.

A brother to Schopenhauer, winner of two in Australia, his three time winning dam, Pins On Ice, is a sister to Avondale Guineas (Gr. 2, 2100m) winner and multiple stakes' performer Icepin (Pins), trained by Te Akau to win $356,615 in prize money, and also a half-sister to Frozone (Reset) who won six races (A$245,450) in Australia.

Owned by the late Herbie Dyke, Icepin was the subject of an interesting purchase arrangement. Dyke ended up buying Icepin for $40,000 from the draft of Waikato Stud at the 2009 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale. The price was to be $50,000 after the colt was passed in at $35,000, but Dyke came out on the right side of a coin toss with Stud boss Garry Chittick.

Foreigner holds a nomination for the $225,000 Levin Classic (Gr. 1, 1600m) on 14 January at Trentham, and $1m Vodafone New Zealand Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) on March 4 at Ellerslie, while Scarlet Princess has been nominated for the $300,000 Wellfield New Zealand Oaks (Gr. 1, 2400m) on 18 March at Trentham.

“They have been nominated for these races because that's the way we feel about them and they are chances,” Autridge said.

Foreigner was strapped by Peter Coleman.
Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz