Winner: Purple Prose Poetic

Recording his fourth course/distance win, Purple Prose (4 g Embellish – Lady Masako, by Iffraaj) led home a Te Akau quinella in the $17,000 Rating 75 1600 metres on 10 June at Riccarton (poly-track).

Purple Prose provided the 130th win for premiership winning trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson at the back end of last season, and since then in April, May, and June, has racked up another three victories with the most recent being the 133rd for the stable this season.

Between winning on 14 May and now, Purple Prose raced well for third in the Rating 75 1600 metres on 27 May, and rated a top three chance from the handy barrier one.

Ridden by Triston Moodley (a1), who was aboard for the win on 30 April, he moved off the trail to the hindquarters of Dimaggio (Almanzor) inside the 600m, had his head in front at the 300m, and maintained the margin.

In a close four-way finish, Purple Prose scored by a long head over stable-mate Queen Of Naples (Darci Brahma), ridden by Amber Riddell (a1), who has recorded three wins on the track, including a Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series race over 1400 metres in April, where she claimed a $20,000 bonus for her owners. 

In the race named Grand National Tickets On Sale Now, Purple Prose ran 1600 metres in 1:36.9, last 600m 35.0 (approx.), and paid $3.90 & $1.90 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“It was another really good win,” said Mark Walker, training partner with Sam Bergerson. “I watched him in track work on Tuesday morning at Riccarton, and he was bouncing off the track, so we knew he was in really good form.

“He can be a bit quirky in track work, Hunter (Durrant) rides him and he and the team have done a great job with him.

“It’s great to see the Riccarton poly-track racing so fairly, which gives horses the opportunity to come from off the pace if they’re capable enough and it provides good footing for this time of the year.”

Purple Prose further enhancing his record in Canterbury is certainly fitting, as dam Lady Masako was purchased by Te Akau principal Sir David Ellis at the 2015 South Island, paying $23,000, from the draft of Pear Tree Farm (Waimate).

Retained for breeding by Te Akau Cherry Blossom Syndicate, Lady Masako was not disgraced on debut in a Maiden 2YO 1300 metres at Hastings, won by subsequent Castletown Stakes (Listed, 1200m) runner-up Honey Rider (Pins), but she retired after two starts and Purple Prose is her third individual winner.

Owned by Te Akau Cherry Blossom Syndicate (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis), Purple Prose is a half-brother to stable-mate Elegant Lady, winner of four races 1900m – 2200m and twice stakes placed, raced by Te Akau Cherry Blossom 2019 Racing Partnership (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis). 

Purple Prose is the third foal from Iffraaj (Zafonic) mare Lady Masako, out of five-time winner Lady Sakura (Jungle Pocket), family of second top Two-Year-Old Lady Bay (Kingdom Bay), the dam of Grosvenor Championship Stakes (Gr. 2, 2100m) winner Let’s Cruise (Zabeel).

“We know the family well and it’s great to see it continuing to produce more winners,” Ellis said.

“We trained Lady Bay, who won four in a row as a two-year-old, three of them stakes races, and Mark (Walker) trained her daughter Let’s Cruise (Zabeel), who was a really good filly that won the Championship Stakes at Ellerslie, and we sold her for good money to America.”

Purple Prose has a Sir Tristram (Sir Ivor) bloodline cross in his sire line and Nureyev (Northern Dancer) cross on his dam side. 

Incredibly Iffraaj (Zafonic) has produced over 550 winners as a broodmare sire, most notably Te Akau trained dual New Zealand Horse of the Year Melody Belle (Commands) whose 14 Group One wins surpassed the previous record set by Sunline (Desert Sun).

Purple Prose was strapped by Katie Dennett.

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