A week after Blake Shinn’s rail-skimming masterclass to guide Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) from last to first in the inaugural NZB Kiwi (1500m), Ryan Elliot followed a similar script to help Waitak (NZ) (Proisir) triumph in Saturday’s Gr.2 Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga.
The $150,000 feature was a step down in class following a string of high-class summer assignments for Waitak, who has contested 10 Group One races in his 30-start career.
The Proisir gelding had gone winless since taking out the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) in January of 2024, but he but has subsequently run eighth in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m), ninth in the A$5 million The Quokka (1200m), fourth in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), fifth in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), third in the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m), third in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m), second in the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m), ninth in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m), sixth in the Railway, fourth in the BCD Group Sprint and a strong-finishing sixth in last month’s Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m).
Waitak looked well placed on Saturday even with his 58kg topweight and wide draw, and so it proved – with a bit of help from Elliot.
Riding Waitak for the first time, Elliot was in no hurry coming out of the gates and was happy to settle a long way off the speed in second-last. The only horse behind him was Dionysus (NZ) (Ocean Park), who was detached from the field after blowing the start.
Leroy Brown (NZ) (Ace High) put the handlebars down and strung the race right out, leading by upwards of six lengths coming down the side of the track.
The leader rolled off the fence rounding the home turn, and Elliot spotted a golden path along the rail. Waitak never went around a horse, bursting through the inside as the in-form Taranaki raider Herbert (NZ) (Sweet Orange) tackled a tiring Leroy Brown.
Herbert briefly took the lead at the 200m mark, but then Waitak charged past him and powered clear, opening up a winning margin of three lengths. Herbert held on for second, a length in front of Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls) and Wild Night (NZ) (Vanbrugh).
“I got a good run along the inside in the Kiwi last week (on the fourth-placed Sought After (NZ) (Tivaci)), but I never knew Blake was going to come through underneath me like he did,” Elliot said. “I thought I might try to do the same thing today.
“Not many horses are going wide and making up much ground today, so we tried our luck and it paid off.
“He travelled fine all the way. He’s a big old horse who gets into his rhythm, breathes well and finds his stride. He just needs a bit of room, and then away he goes.
“He’s the sort of horse where a lot of his performances say ‘next time, next time’, but he’s done a great job today.
“It’s good to get a Group winner in these Wexford colours. I’ve hardly ever ridden for them before, but I’ve been doing a bit of work for them here and there and it’s starting to pay off.”
Elliot’s ride earned high praise from Waitak’s co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan, whose own glittering career in the saddle earned him induction into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.
“That was some win, and what a ride by Ryan,” O’Sullivan said. “He was a long way off them, and coming through the inside proved to be the winning of the race. The horse won with a bit in hand as well, which was great to see.”
Bred by the late Colin Devine and raced by his widow Jill, Waitak has had 30 starts for five wins, nine placings and $860,237. He has been a quality performer over a range of distances, from his 1200m heroics in last year’s Railway to his second in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) as a three-year-old two summers ago.
“I’m just thrilled for his owners,” O’Sullivan said. “The horse has been running terrific races, but has been plagued by a fair bit of bad luck this season. It was good to see him get his chance today and do what he did.
“He’s super versatile. He’s been performing well over the shorter trips lately, but we just ran out of options there and Andrew and I elected to run him over a bit further again. It’s just a great result today.”
