Winner: Queen of Naples Rules

Securing a hat-trick of wins for premiership leading trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson, Queen Of Naples (4 m Darci Brahma – Tiffany’s Time, by Alamosa) also earned her owners a healthy bonus of $20,000 when winning the $17,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Fillies & Mares Rating 65 1400 metres on 30 April at Riccarton. 

Already a back-to-back winner on the poly-track at Riccarton, over 1400m and 1600m, Queen Of Naples had closed nicely after getting back on the inner when trialling on 17 April at Ashburton, and appeared ideally drawn (5) to rate a top three chance fresh-up. 

Ridden by Triston Moodley (a1), who won the previous race on stable-mate Purple Prose (Embellish), while Te Akau apprentice Hayley Hassman (a2) notched the first leg of the treble on Arctic Jewel (Frosting), Queen Of Naples secured a nice run in fifth, travelled boldly approaching the home turn, and kept winding up on the outside of runners to grab victory near the line. 

Three wins on the last day of April capped a great month for the three Te Akau stables: Matamata, Riccarton, Cranbourne (Melbourne), who shared in 19 wins, including three stakes’ wins, with three Group One wins in the past 32 days.  

On the poly-track, recording her third win from 11 starts, Queen Of Naples ran 1400 metres in 1:23.5 and paid $5.00 & $2.10 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“It was a really good effort to win, getting out a bit wider in the straight where they seemed to be winning on that section of the track,” Walker said.

“Hunter (Durrant) and the staff we’ve got there presented the horses in magnificent order and everyone has been rewarded by winning three of the four races we had horses in. So, congratulations to them and all the owners involved. 

“She’s developing a good record, Queen Of Naples, and being able to handle the synthetic track (poly-track) is a big advantage heading into the next few months.” 

Bred by Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM, Glenn & Cathie Holmes, and Te Akau Stud, Queen Of Naples is owned by the Te Akau Timely Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM). 

Queen Of Naples has plenty of Te Akau history, as principal David Ellis CNZM not only bought her sire as a yearling at Karaka, five-time Group One winner and Champion Sire Darci Brahma, but also her dam, dual winner Tiffany’s Time.

Bred by Greg Tomlinson (Nearco Stud), Tiffany’s Time was sold through the Bradbury Park draft, and trained by Te Akau, she won twice over 1400 metres.

“She (Tiffany’s Time) was a beautiful looking filly with a nice Northern Dancer cross through the sires on both sides of her pedigree,” Ellis recalled.  

“She had terrific balance, exuded class, and from an imported stakes' winning daughter of More Than Ready (Southern Halo) – a sire that has done a fantastic job at stud.” 

Her sire, Alamosa (O’Reilly), was a super racehorse that won three races as a two-year-old, including the Group 1 Diamond Stakes (1200m), adding the Group 1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham, and Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield. 

Queen Of Naples is the second winner for Tiffany’s Time, following the first foal and former stable-mate Time Is King (Darci Brahma), who won twice to 1600 metres, while also in the stable, two-year-old gelding Any Other News (Embellish) ran home well over the concluding stages for fourth when trialling on 7 April at Ellerslie. Tiffany’s Time also has a yearling colt by Embellish (Savabeel) and in foal to Sword Of State (Snitzel). 

Reflecting on Darci Brahma, he was purchased by Ellis as a yearling at Karaka, and trained by Mark Walker to record five Group 1 victories which included the T. J. Smith Stakes (1600m) in Brisbane, as a two-year-old, 2000 Guineas (1600m), and Telegraph Handicap (1200m).

The Multiple Champion Stallion has sired winners of over 2000 races: 100 stakes' winners, including 16 at Group One level, the likes of Super Easy, Catalyst, Gust Of Wind, Nashville, Kahma Lass, Recite, Risque, Irish Fling, and many other gifted and hardy thoroughbreds.

Queen Of Naples was strapped by Ruby Rae-Wood.

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