The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young trained Emphasize (NZ) (Embellish) has rocketed into Gr.1 New Zealand Derby contention with an emphatic victory at Sale on Thursday.
The lightly tried son of resident Cambridge Stud sire Embellish had finished a debut third on the course over 1400 metres prior to Christmas and he relished the next step up to 1717 metres, waltzing home by four lengths.
Emphasize was forced to cover plenty of extra ground in his victory romp with a performance that now has him the $8 second favourite for the Derby.
Rider Thomas Stockdale has been aboard the three-year-old in both of his outings and said the best has yet to come from the gelding, who carries the colours of OTI Racing.
“He was ever so strong and will continue to improve.”
Emphasize was caught four wide early after jumping from the outside gate before he slotted in one off close to the pace.
He pulled out early to improve three wide and strode to the front halfway down the straight to thump his older rivals.
“The tempo was okay before the leader backed off going to the 1000 metre mark and my bloke has such a big stride that I let him roll,” Sadler said.
Bred by Yarrawonga Racing, Emphasize was bought out of Castle Hill Farm’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale by Inglewood Stud for $5000.
He was subsequently purchased for $75,000 by OTI, Busuttin Racing and Phill Cataldo Bloodstock at the Ready to Run Sale.
Emphasize is a son of the Dane Shadow mare Dancing May, who also has a juvenile Embellish filly, and she is a sister to the Gr.1 South Australian Derby winner Shadows In The Sun.
