Dundeel juvenile completes Group 1 double

Yourdeel  (Dundeel)  belied  a  below  par  gallop  last  week  to  lay  claim  to  being  New  Zealand’s  best  juvenile  after  the  gelding  produced  a  barnstorming finish to take out the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m).

Trainer Jamie Richards admitted Yourdeel, who completed the Group 1  double  having  taking  out  the  Sistema  Stakes  (Gr  1,  1200m)  at  his  previous  start,  was  nearly  a  non-runner  at  Awapuni  and  then  appeared  out of contention mid-race yesterday.“He has really stood up and raised the bar this season hasn’t he, he’s quite an incredible horse,” Richards said.“

(But)  the  way  he  worked  on  Tuesday,  I  didn’t  know  if  we  were  going to be here or not, but it was a great effort by the team at home and that man on top (Opie Bosson), who is such an important part of our team.”At the top of the Awapuni straight, Dundeel was at least eight lengths from the leader First Rock (El Roca) before surging late to win by a long neck over Aretha (Charm Spirit). Bella Mente (El Roca) was another neck away in third.Bosson shared the anxious feelings held by Richards and Yourdeel’s supporters given the gelding’s position in running.“

We just wobbled around the last corner and even across the top I was thinking ‘Jamie is going to kill me’,” Bosson said.“I’m  just  so  lucky  he  (Richards)  is  a  champion  trainer  as  he  got  this  horse back on track after his ordinary gallop on Tuesday.“Once  I  balanced  him  up,  he  changed  leg  and  really  charged  to  the  line. I dropped my inside rein, so he did it all on his own.“He’s  a  top-quality  horse  who  is  going  to  be  exciting  at  three  (years  old).”Richards  again  highlighted  that  gelding  Yourdeel  had  been  the  key  to  his  success.  The  Te  Akau  Racing  trainer  also  credited  the  procedure  for part of the reason he was able to win the Sistema Stakes earlier this month.

“He’s taken a fair bit of making,” he said.“He  was  very  colty  in  the  spring  then  got  laid  back  and  started  to  overdo it. He’s done a fantastic job though.”Richards said Yourdeel and stablemate Equinox (Exceed And Excel), who loomed up like he would be in the finish before tiring to run seventh, would both be immediately spelled and not return until next season.A winner of four of his six starts, Yourdeel (2 g Dundeel - Miss Zapper by Red Ransom) has earned NZ$375,600 in prize-money.

Yourdeel  was  bought  as  a  foal  by  Little  Avondale  Stud  out  of  Dan  Myers’ draft at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale for NZ$30,000. Reoffered at the 2018 National Yearling Sale at Karaka by Little Avondale, he was purchased for NZ$100,000 by Chris Rutten, who shares ownership of the gelding with John Norwood and Rod Preston.

Yourdeel  is  the  second  Group  1  winner  for  Arrowfield  Stud  resident  Dundeel, while he is one of six named foals, four of whom have raced and three of whom have won out of the winning Red Ransom (Roberto) mare Miss Zapper. Miss  Zapper’s  yearling  colt  by  Proisir  (Choisir)  sold  for  NZ$2000  at  the Book 3 session of the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale this year after being sold for the same amount by Myers at the Karaka May Sale last year.

Yourdeel’s second dam Volted In (Rory’s Jester) is a placed half-sister to  Anamato  (Redoute’s  Choice),  who  was  the  third  filly  in  the  Australian  Three-Year-Old  classification  of  2006/07  having  won  the  Australasian  Oaks  (Gr  1,  2000m),  while  she  herself  has  produced  Irish  Listed  winner  Anamba (Shamardal). Dundeel,  whose  oldest  progeny  are  three-year-olds,  is  the  sire  of  seven  stakes  winners  including  Yourdeel  and  South  African  Group  1  winner Atyaab. He has 14 lots catalogued at next week’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.