The Ace Flies Home Again

Impressive winning on debut over 1200 metres last month at Wingatui, Our Flying Ace (3 g Darci Brahma - Aterballetto, by Stravinsky) made it two from two with a polished performance in the $25,000 Inglewood Stud Guineas trial, over 1400 metres, on 9 October at Riccarton.

In defeating smart two-year-old winner Fire Show (Showcasing) and recent Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) winner Emily Margaret (Pins), Our Flying Ace produced another effort worthy of his nomination for the $500,000 Al Basti 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) on 10 November at Riccarton.

Ridden by Jason Laking, who won earlier on the programme aboard two-year-old debutante filly Puysegur (Fastnet Rock), Our Flying Ace was untroubled to work across from the outside gate and despite only a steady pace he settled nicely just off the leader. Asked to lengthen mid-straight, he gained an advantage to win narrowly but well.

On Dead4 footing, he ran the 1400 metres in 1:25.2 and as race favourite returned $2.20 & $1.20 on the NZ TAB.

“I think he's an improving horse and he can't do anymore than win,” said trainer Jamie Richards. “He will come on again for that effort. He's probably a horse that's going to be better when ridden a bit further back, and chasing them, but from the wide gate today we wanted to take bad luck out of the equation and push forward. He kept up a good gallop and can only improve for the experience.”

Richards said Our Flying Ace would now contest either the Barneswood Farm Stakes (Gr. 3, 1400m) on 20 October at Ashburton, or the Zacinto Stakes (Listed, 1600m) on 27 October at Riccarton.

Purchased by David Ellis for $140,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, he is owned by the Te Akau Flying Ace Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

From the classy Pencarrow Stud family of Group Two & Three winner Rasa Lila (Darci Brahma) and Group Three winner Posavina (Tiger Hill), Our Flying Ace has the pedigree to stretch over more distance but also possesses a smart speed component which has seen him easily negate the outside barrier on two occasions.

“He's won both his starts and he's another really smart horse that we've bought from Pencarrow Stud,” Ellis said. “Bred by Sir Peter Vela, we purchased him at the Karaka Premier sale and he looks like another Darci Brahma with a very exciting future.

“It's quite incredible how many good horses I've bought off Pencarrow Stud, including his sire Darci Brahma, a champion racehorse and stallion, and Burgundy whose young progeny are doing a great job.

“I bought a couple from their draft this year, including a two-year-old colt Equinox, by Exceed and Excel out of Our Ella Belle, and we can't wait to get him to the trials in a couple of weeks time. He's shown us plenty of ability in track work.

“Our Flying Ace has got a lot of speed, had to be used up early and Jason Laking told us he still had a fair bit up his sleeve at the finish and that he only asked him to do as much as he needed to. He certainly likes the horse and rates his ability.

“It was our 22^nd win for the season, at a strike rate of 3.1, which are unbelievable statistics and only achievable with a fantastic team of staff. They worked so hard through the winter to enable us to have the horses in such good form for the spring.”

Not a quick horse to sell, Ellis was again reminded of the fact that some of the slower horses to be sold often turn out for the best.

“Interestingly enough, Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) owns twenty percent in Our Flying Ace because we just couldn't sell him,” Ellis said. “He was probably the last to sell that year.

“He was a lovely yearling and I remember going to Bill Taylor, who had a share in Gingernuts, just after he won the Derby. I said: ‘I've got a really nice racehorse in the making at home that you should take a share in', and Bill got involved, so good on him.”

Our Flying Ace was strapped by Charlie Carroll.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz