Winner: Nice Job Novelette

Justifying favouritism with a strong performance, Novelette (3 f Cool Aza Beel – Fiction, by Redoute’s Choice) won the $18,500 Maiden 1200 metres on 12 March at Ashburton. 

Placed in both trials before an educational outing as a two-year-old, Novelette had emerged with two good efforts, most recently fighting well for fourth in the Maiden 1200 metres on 4 February at Riccarton, and given time (36 days) by trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson she rated a top three chance at her fifth start.

Ridden by Triston Moodley (a1), Novelette took up a handy position between runners from barrier five, was clear to challenge inside the 400m and unleashed a powerful finish to win going away by two and a quarter-lengths. 

“She’s continued to improve in a handful of race day starts to record a really good win and it was a good ride by Triston Moodley,” Walker said.

“The team in our southern stable at Riccarton at going really well and our assistant trainer Hunter Durrant and the staff are turning them out in superb condition. 

“It’s always special to train winners by sires that we’ve bought and trained, and Cool Aza Beel is having a great run with his young progeny this season, from where he stands at Newhaven Park (NSW) in Australia. 

“I was taken by the way Novelette found the line, showing plenty of stretch, and the win should give her confidence to win more races.”

On Good4 footing, Novelette ran 1200 metres in 1:10.9, last 600m in 34.6 (approx.), and paid $2.70 & $1.50 on the NZ TAB tote. 

Novelette recorded the seventh win for the stable in the past week, which included two wins on Champions Day at Ellerslie (7 March), where Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) won the $550,000 Sistema Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) to recorded the 103rd Group One win for Te Akau, Belle Cheval (Savabeel) finished second in the $4m NZB Kiwi (Restricted Listed, 1500m), and runners for the stable won $1.73 million in prize money at the meeting.

Also, a day earlier at Matamata (11 March), three-year-old colt Seize The Day (I Am Invincible) impressed in victory and raced into favouritism ($3.80 & $1.60) for the $550,000 Courtesy Ford Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr. 1, 1400m) on Saturday 28 March at Trentham. 

The Sires’ Produce Stakes was won last year by stable-mate and Champion Two-Year-Old La Dorada (Super Seth), who provided Te Akau with their ninth win the race. 

Owned by Te Akau Cool Fiction Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), Novelette was purchased by David Ellis CNZM for $67,500 at the 2024 Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, from the draft of Newhaven Park Stud. 

At the time of purchase, Ellis said: “She’s a beautifully bred filly, being by such a promising young sire son of Savabeel, Cool Aza Beel, with Redoute’s Choice and Success Express as her first two dam sires. 

“The family has shown to possess plenty of speed among the winners and there are plenty that have performed well as two-year-old, and they really are good quality and proven bloodlines.

“Physically, she has been beautifully prepared as an early developer and she looks the type to run in two-year-old races. But she also appears to have plenty of scope and strength to train on as she develops as a three-year-old.”

Novelette is from the first crop of Champion Two-Year-Old, Karaka Million 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m) and Sistema Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) winner Cool Aza Beel (Savabeel), whom Ellis purchased as yearling at Karaka, and now stands at Newhaven Park (NSW).

The Kelly family at Newhaven Park had reported that the first crop progeny by Cool Aza Beel were the best line of yearlings by any stallion they had stood at Newhaven Park, which is very similar to the comment made by Waikato Stud when the first foals by his sire, Savabeel (Zabeel), were born.

From his first crop, Cool Aza Beel produced Group One winner Cool Archie and five-time winner Cool Aza Rene, purchased by Ellis as a yearling on the Gold Coast, who included winning the Barneswood Stakes (Gr. 3, 1400m).  

Dam Fiction, a winner over 1200 metres in Australia, by Champion Sire and Champion Broodmare Sire Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), had already proved herself as a broodmare, with Novelette her seventh individual winner of 16 races. 

Grand-dam Polar Success, by Success Express (Hold Your Peace), the dam-sire of Savabeel, reached the pinnacle of world juvenile racing when winning the Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m), while also winning the Reisling Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m), among four victories, and in turn became a very good producer with eight individual winners of 28 races.

Novelette carries a bloodline cross to Success Express and Danzig, and it certainly is a family that leaves a lot of winners.

Novelette was strapped by Hunter Durrant. 

?Photo credit - Ajay Berry - www.raceimages.co.nz