WINNER: Trans Tasman Stakes' Wins So Sweet

Following a stakes’ win for the stable at Flemington, Sweetest Thing (3 f Hello Youmzain – Ocean Drive, by Sea The Stars) resumed with victory in the $80,000 Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) on Saturday at Riccarton.

Soon after Champion Two-Year-Old Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) won the inaugural running of the $175,000 Listed Michael Moroney (1400m) at Flemington, and confirmed a path towards the A$1.5 million Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) on 17 October at Caulfield, Sweetest Thing recorded the sixth win for Te Akau in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes over 1200m.

Sweetest Thing was having her first start for the stable and owner Glentree Racing, who with its breeding division Glentree Thoroughbreds, is owned by Bruce Wilson. She had twice stakes' placed last season as a two-year-old, including running second to Te Akau-trained Seize The Day (I Am Invincible) in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), and rated a top three chance after finishing strongly to win a trial on 25 August at Ashburton.

Ridden by former Te Akau apprentice Wiremu Pinn, who rode Sweetest Thing in the Group 1 Sires’, she raced quite keenly behind the leaders, shouldered her way clear on straightening for the run home, and dug deepest in a close three-way finish.

“She’s the horse I came down here for,” Pinn said. “I rode her last season, she was Group One placed, and I think a lot of her.

“She dug in deep, really wants to win, and has the attributes of a really good horse. 

“She’s a serious contender for the Guineas’”, races in which she holds nominations for both the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas and Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas, each held during Cup Week in November at Riccarton. 

Sweetest Thing scored by a short-head over Platinum La Danse (Noverre), while stable-mate Sword Of Stars (Sword Of State), with Masa Hashizume aboard, mounted a big run from the rear to finish a head away in third. 

Sweetest Thing ran 1200 metres in a respectable 1:11.2 on Heavy8 footing and paid $1.90 & $1.30 on the NZ TAB tote.

“It was great to see the South Island stable and team have a stakes' winner today with Sweetest Thing,” said Mark Walker, training partner with Sam Bergerson, from Melbourne.

“It was a brave effort to win and the Sword Of State filly, Sword Of Stars, put the writing on the wall, as well, that she’s in for a good season too.

“Congratulations to Glentree, they’ve supported us with horses in Melbourne, as well. They bought Sweetest Thing last season and now she’s a stakes' winner for them.

“The beauty of these fillies: Sweetest Thing, Sword Of Stars, and Lara Antipova, is that while they’ve found form early in the season, there is still plenty of improvement to come in all of them.”

Sweetest Thing is by Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), who carried the Stud's yellow and black chequered colours to victory in the prestigious Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot during the COVID lockdown.

An extremely well-bred colt on the Danehill (Danzig) sire line, out of a Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) mare, Hello Youmzain won two Group One sprint races on his way to becoming a leading European sprinter.

Retired to stud in 2021, Hello Youmzain has produced 150 individual winners including 17 stakes’ winners. 

Out of Ocean Drive, a dual winner to 2600 metres in Great Britian, by Champion Sire Sea The Stars (Cape Cross), Sweetest Thing was purchased by Chris Rutten and Roydon Bergerson as a yearling at Karaka, and was trained by Bergerson (father of Te Akau trainer Sam Bergerson) before being on-sold.

“It was a very satisfying day, to win stakes' races with fillies in New Zealand and Australia, and I thought Hakkinen was impressive winning the last race at Riccarton, too, because he was back and wide all the way and got home really well,” said Te Akau principal Sir David Ellis.

“We’ll set Sweetest Thing and Sword Of Stars for the 1000 Guineas, so sent them down there nice and early and doing that, previously, we’ve managed seven wins in both the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas. 

“It’s been recipe that’s worked since the early 2000's when we had the stable at Rangiora, and they generally get slightly better tracks down in the South Island for the lead-up up races to Cup Week. 

“I thought Sword Of Stars went a great race in the Canterbury Belle, too. She’s a filly I bought from Windsor Park Stud at Karaka, and we trained her mother Angelica Hall too.

“It’s the great Lovenvain family that Windsor Park has, and Jonny Schick and Sue Schick have kept a share, and All Black Anton Lienert-Brown is also amongst the ownership, so they’ll all be excited by her run.

“it's been a terrific day for the stable with trans-Tasman stakes' wins. When Mark (Walker) was over last week for the Horse of the Year Awards, he told me that Lara Antipova had improved a ton and he expected her to go close or win, so, again, he was dead right.

“The Cranbourne stable has had a great start to the season, wining nine or 10 races so far and has a really good strike rate.”

Sweetest Thing was strapped Ruby Rae-Wood.