Te Akau Racing resisted the temptation of a big spring campaign with promising filly Damask Rose, and their patience could be rewarded in a pair of seven-figure races at Ellerslie later in the season.
The lightly raced daughter of Savabeel made her first raceday appearance since September in Saturday's Wentwood Grange 3YO (1200m), where she lived up to her $1.80 favouritism with an effortless win.
It was the second victory of a four-start career for Damask Rose, who won on debut at New Plymouth in late December of last year before finishing second to Velocious in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie. In her only other start, she ran an eye-catching third behind quality fillies Alabama Lass and Captured By Love in the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings on September 7.
The $550,000 Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton was an appealing spring target for a filly who had performed so strongly in her three-year-old debut, but trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson decided to play a longer game. They still won the 1000 Guineas with Captured By Love, and now the summer might be Damask Rose's time to shine.
"We resisted the temptation of going to Riccarton with this filly," Walker said on Saturday. "We're working our way backwards from the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and the NZB Kiwi (1500m).
"We just thought we'd give Riccarton a miss, and that would give her the best chance of getting to those two big races in Auckland. They can't go to every dance. I think we've done the right thing.
"She had a few weeks out at the farm after the Gold Trail, where she put on some good condition and has come back looking super.
"She's a really nice filly. She could potentially end up being pretty good, I think. Her next start will be in the Auckland Guineas (Gr.2, 1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day."
Ridden by Opie Bosson with a testing 59kg topweight, Damask Rose took up a comfortable position in fourth as her stablemate Maracatu set an even tempo. Bosson began to urge Damask Rose along just before the home turn, and she clicked into gear in the straight and soon strode to the front.
Damask Rose cruised away from a tiring Maracatu and opened up a big lead, ultimately winning by a length and three-quarters over the strong-finishing Sought After.
"She gave me a great feel," Bosson said. "I had her off the nickel for a fair bit of the race, but she's quite a laid-back type of horse.
"She feels like she's back, big time. The further she goes, the better she'll be. I think she has a chance to go on and win races like the Karaka Millions and the new slot race."
The TAB reacted to Saturday's win by cutting Damask Rose from $8 into $4 for the Karaka Millions 3YO at Ellerslie on January 25. She now also holds a prominent position at $10 in the market for the NZB Kiwi on March 8, for which Te Akau Racing owns a slot.
This three-year-old race on Waikato Cup Day at Te Rapa is a proven springboard to better things for Te Akau Racing. Quintessa placed in the race last year and went on to win the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m), while the stable has previously won this event with subsequent Group Two winners Wild Night and Brando.
Damask Rose was bred by Tony Rider, who offered her under his Milan Park banner in Book 1 of Karaka 2023. David Ellis secured the well-related filly for $200,000.
"I'd like to congratulate everyone for the patience they've shown with this filly," Ellis said. "We deliberately turned her out for good spell after racing earlier in the season, because our goal was to have her ready for top races after New Year's Day, and after seeing her win like that, we feel that we're on target.
"It was her first start for some time, so to win like that was really impressive. Congratulations to Mark and Sam and all the staff that look after her for the way they've prepared her."
Runner-up Sought After, who is locked in as Waikato Stud's representative for the NZB Kiwi, lost no admirers with his performance on Saturday. He settled in a clear last after a slow start, but made up plenty of ground in the final 200m.
