Te Akau Racing ran rampant at both New Zealand venues on Saturday, culminating in a runaway by Dream Of The Moon (All Too Hard) in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton.
The $80,000 three-year-old fillies’ feature was the third win on the Riccarton card for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. The premiership-leading stable previously had a quinella with Knowledge Is Power (NZ) (Written Tycoon) and Hooray For Harry (Harry Angel) in the Windsor Park Stud RR&B Luncheon & Yearling Sale Rating 65 (1200m), followed by Star Shadow’s (NZ) (Reliable Man) success in the Avon City Ford Rating 65 (1600m).
Meanwhile at Trentham, quality staying mare Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) bounced back from a disappointing Australian campaign with victory in the Listed Valley D’Vine Restaurant Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m).
But none of those victories were as dominant as Dream Of The Moon, who added a first black-type win to her CV alongside second placings in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) and Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m), third in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) and fourth in the Gr.3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) and Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m).
The only blemish in the All Too Hard filly’s form line was a last-start eighth at Riccarton on March 22, after which she was found to have a slow recovery rate. She bounced back in style on Saturday.
Dream Of The Moon and rider George Rooke settled in sixth place as Lady Diva (NZ) (Eminent) and Kellanzor (NZ) (Almanzor) showed the way up to the home turn. Rooke had Dream Of The Moon under a firm hold as she cruised up alongside those two rivals in the straight, and the race was over as soon as Rooke pushed the button.
Within the space of a few bounds, Dream Of The Moon powered away and opened up a winning margin of three and a quarter lengths over the multiple Group placegetter Connello (NZ) (Time Test). The winner’s stablemate Donna Chiara (NZ) (Belardo) finished another length and a quarter away in third.
Bought by David Ellis for A$160,000 from the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Dream Of The Moon has now had 11 starts for three wins, four placings and $165,175 in stakes.
“It was a richly deserved stakes win to add to her previous stakes-placed efforts, and she really was dominant today,” said Walker, who has trained 16 Group and Listed winners in partnership with Bergerson this season.
“She’s a beautiful filly that Dave (Ellis) bought for a realistic price in Australia, and she’s put together a very good record. Dave has bought so many good yearlings out of the Gold Coast, and she’s proving to be on par with some of those.
“It’s great for the ownership group to get that win, and Hunter (Durrant) and the team are doing a fine job at our Riccarton stables. It was a brilliant win and she can now contest the Warstep Stakes (Listed, 2000m) in a fortnight.”
The Warstep Stakes will be run at Riccarton on April 26 and is the final leg of the four-race New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series. Saturday’s win lifted Dream Of The Moon to the top of the table with 11 points. Raziah (NZ) (Niagara) and Pivotal Ten (NZ) (Ten Soverigns) share second spot with 7 points, while Lil Zena (NZ) (US Navy Flag) and Connello have 4 points and Lavender Haze (Dubious), Loose Sally (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and Donna Chiara (NZ) (Belardo) all have 2.
