This Saturday’s first Group 1 race of the new racing season, the $400,000 Westbury Stud Tarzino Trophy, may have only drawn a field of 11 runners but it is chock-full of class.

The feature race on the first day of the Colliers Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival never fails to attract the cream of the country’s weight-for-age gallopers and this year’s edition is no exception.

Five of the 11 entrants have already won at Group 1 level while two others are Group 1 placed and three of the other four are either Group 2 or Group 3 winners.

Heading the betting for the 1400m event is last season’s outstanding three-year-old Crocetti, who has been backed into a raging hot $2.00 favourite.

The son of Zacinto has had nine starts for eight wins and a second and is coming off a last start fresh up win over 1100m on an unsuitable heavy track at Ruakaka on August 3. The big strong four-year-old has since been super-impressive when winning an 1100m trial at Taupo and, given suitable track conditions this weekend, he looks the one to beat.

Crocetti was a dominant winner of the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November last year while his only defeat was when he went down by a long head to Bonny Lass in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in February.

Besides winning that Group 1 event, Bonny Lass has also been Group 1 placed in both the Sistema Railway (1200m) at Pukekohe and J & R Berkett Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham and is coming off a last start win in the Group 2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa. She is currently second favourite for the Tarzino at $4.80.

Last year’s Tarzino Trophy winner Skew Wiff is back to defend her title and is on the third line of betting at $6.00 following her eye-catching run for third in the Foxbridge Plate (1200m) a fortnight ago.

Waitak is on the fourth line of betting at $12.00 and he was a Group 1 winner of the Sistema Railway (1200m) on New Year’s Day while the other Group 1 winning entrant is Puntura, who took out the Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham in January.

Faraglioni and Blissful Belle have yet to win at Group 1 level but have been placed at the elite level, with Faraglioni runner-up in the TAB Classic (1600m) at Trentham in December and Blissful Belle third in the NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1600m) in March.

Of the others in the Tarzino, Grail Seeker has been a Group 2 winner in the Wellington Guineas (1400m), Sacred Satono has won twice at Group 3 level and Snazzytavi has also been successful in a Group 3 race.

Quintessa makes an outstanding return

High-class racemare Quintessa returned with a bang when running out a resounding winner of the Group 3 A$200,000 Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield last Saturday.  

The Mark Walker-trained four-year-old lumped 60kg topweight under Daniel Stackhouse and powered home from midfield on the home turn, sweeping past her rivals in the final stages to win by three-quarters of a length.

Even though she was placed fourth in the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) last season, the daughter of Shamus Award could be kept to sprints and mile races this campaign.

Although racing out of Walker’s Cranbourne stable, Quintessa returned to Te Akau Stud in New Zealand to spell between her three and four-year-old seasons and did much of her preparation out of the stable’s Matamata base, including a trial at Te Awamutu in mid-August.  

“She actually went home and spelled and has been prepared over there,” Walker’s assistant trainer Ben Gleeson said.

“She had one trial over there and they had been really happy with her. She had a gallop just before she came over and she really pleased Mark.  

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing in racing and while she is bred to stay, this preparation Mark has thought that if we train her a bit fresh and keep her at the shorter trips, she might be that sprinter-miler sort of mare and that has been true today. 

“There is a lovely program for these fillies and mares. She will go two weeks to the Let’s Elope Stakes (Group 2, 1400m) and ideally we will get her to the Empire Rose (Group 1, 1600m) during Cup week at Flemington.  

“That is probably the perfect race for her.”  

Te Akau Racing has previously enjoyed success in the Cockram Stakes with star mare Probabeel winning the 2021 edition under the tutelage of now Hong Kong-based trainer Jamie Richards.  

Prior to Saturday’s Group 3 victory, Quintessa had already amassed an impressive CV, having won the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) and Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), plus stakes placings in the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) and Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m). She has also finished fourth in three other Group 1 races, the Waikato Sprint (1400m), the Australian Guineas (1600m) and Australian Oaks (2400m).  

Bred by Linda and Graham Huddy’s Peachester Lodge, Quintessa was born and raised at Wentwood Grange in Cambridge and was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $170,000. She has now won five of her 11 starts and A$729,779 in prize money.

Quintessa is now owned by the Te Akau Awarded Racing Syndicate, with Waipukurau-based Michael Ormsby having a small shareholding in the mare.

Ormsby is also a small shareholder in the Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate that races last Saturday’s impressive Riccarton winner The Victress.

The Zousain filly scored a dominant all the way win in the $40,000 open three-year-old event over 1000m and is now stakes-bound according to her connections.

The Victress collected her maiden success as a two-year-old in January and was then put aside to strengthen, with last Saturday’s race being her first since April.

“It’s good that she’s now had a look down the chute at Riccarton, because next start she’ll be in the Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m),” Walker said.

“She is just a bit stronger this year and I think she’ll really go on with it.”

The Victress was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $250,000 out of the draft of Coolmore Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is one of two fillies raced by the Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate, with the other being multiple Group 1 performer Captured By Love.

Firmer footing sure to suit Velocious

Star youngster Velocious will have the opportunity to redeem herself on a better surface at Hastings this Saturday.

Much was expected of the daughter of Written Tycoon when she opened her three-year-old campaign at Taupo last month, but she produced an indifferent display when she trailed in fourth in a five-horse field.

Trainer Stephen Marsh is hoping improved underfoot conditions in the Group 3 HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) will turn her fortunes around on the opening day of the Colliers Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival.

“All of her best runs have been on good tracks, the three times she has been beaten have been on rain-affected tracks,” Marsh said.

“She probably needed that Taupo run a bit more than we initially thought as well. We will get a much better line on her on Saturday.”

Last season’s Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) winner will again be partnered in the Gold Trail by Craig Grylls, while Joe Doyle will continue his association with stablemate Super Photon.

The Super Seth colt will bid to add to his black-type record when last season’s Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1200m) winner lines up in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m).

Super Photon suffered his first defeat when he finished runner-up at Taupo behind Savaglee.

“He has come through that first-up run very, very well and he just had a little bit of mucus found after the race,” Marsh said.

“We feel he is a big improver. He’s scoped clean and his bloods are clean. He hasn’t missed a beat and 1200m on a better track will be ideal for him.”

Marsh’s other runner at Hastings will be three-time winner Merchant Queen in the Vet Services Equine Hawke’s Bay Premier (1200m).

“I really rate her and she’s a fast improver from Taupo. Her work has been very good and, again, back on a better track she’s ready to go,” he said.

Last season’s Group 1 New Zealand Stakes (2000m) winner El Vencedor will head in the opposite direction this weekend for his resuming run in the open 1400m sprint at Ruakaka.

“He’s in good shape, but he never does much first up. The trip to Ruakaka and the run will fit him up nicely and he’ll go to the middle leg (Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate, 1600m) at Hawke’s Bay,” Marsh said.

New times for nominations, withdrawals

There are now new closing times for nominations and withdrawals:

• For race-meetings held on a Wednesday nominations will remain with a closing time of noon on the Friday prior. However, withdrawals will now close on the Monday at 10am (previously Saturday).

• For race-meetings held on a Friday nominations will now be Monday at noon (previously Tuesday) with withdrawals closing on the Tuesday (previously Wednesday).

• The first Friday race meeting with new deadlines will be Matamata Racing Club’s meeting on Friday, September 13.

There are no changes to nomination and withdrawal times for meetings held on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

These changes have been decided after consultation with a number of Racing Clubs and the Trainers’ Association.