Good as Gold

Talented mare Darci's Gold (4 m Darci's Gold - Golden Dawn, by Gold Brose) added to her impeccable fresh-up record in the Benchmark 75 1200 metres on April 15 at Avondale.

A winner on debut as a three-year-old at Paeroa, she stormed home to beat Alvesta (General Nediym) in November at Tauranga, and having trialled up nicely to finish camped on the heels of Neo (One Cool Cat) and Twilight Granita (Iffraaj) at Cambridge, March 12, kept the resuming sequence intact.

Another carrying the DE brand of Te Akau principal David Ellis, Darci's Gold is bred and owned by Elaine & Bruce Fisher, Lynn & Steve Marriner, Doug Ansford, Kevin Williams and Nigel Williams.

Out of the gates with gusto for jockey Matt Cameron, Darci's Gold was keen to get on with business when ranging three wide on the pace from the 600 metres and after passing the 300m in a line of four vying for the lead she put in determinedly to score with authority.

“She travelled a lot better once she got into the clear,” said Cameron. “She dug deep. Halfway down she hit a flat spot, but she really responded to hit the line nice. It was a good effort and the ground with a little bit of dig out of it was just perfect.

“We needed to use her gate speed, because it was hopeless getting back in the field on the pattern of the day,” said Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman. “Her work leading up was very good and she's three from three fresh and the same over 1200 metres. I have always stepped her up in distance after her fresh-up run, and maybe this time we will keep her at the 1200 metres again. She had a nice weight today - 55kgs - and hopefully given the dead ground she will come through the race well.

“It will make it harder to win going up in ratings, but once she gets to open class it would be nice to get some form in stakes' races. She comes from a predominantly speed family and with what we're seeing from her it seems she is true to the mould,” said Bridgman.

A lovely mare, Darci's Gold possesses the attributes associated with top horses; a turn of foot and a terrific will to win.

Her dam Golden Dawn was purchased by David Ellis for $20,000 and trained by Mark Walker. She won twice up to a mile, but has really thrived as a broodmare to leave six winners of twenty-four races. Walker also trained her multiple stakes placed daughter Snipza Gold (Pins), who won seven races, while her son, Bridgestone (Pentire), Group One placed in the Western Australian Derby, with a Group Three and listed win and a further two group placed performances, has won six times up to 2200 metres for stakes of $450,650 in Australia. Her year older brother Super Shadow (Darci Brahma) has also stamped his mark from the stables of Michael Freedman in Singapore. Purchased for $60,000 at the 2011 New Zealand Premier Yearling sale, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud, he was taking through to the Ready the Sale by the same vendor where he changed hands for $320,000 and now boasts a record of three wins from eight starts.

CFREDIT - JEFF DORE - PHOTO CREDIT - WWW.RACEIMAGES.CO.NZ