Bright Spring Prospects for Haunui Graduates

Recent racing in Australasia has highlighted a number of exciting Haunui graduates that look to have brighter stars on the horizon.

Leading the charge is the Bob and Sandra Peters owned, SHOWMANSHIP (NZ) (Showcasing) who took the step up to stakes class with ease and landed his sixth win on the trot with an impressive performance, stepping back to the 1200m in the Listed Bendigo Bank Handicap at Moonee Valley. If he keeps stepping up to the mark, a slot in The Everest certainly isn’t out of the question.

Three-year-old Captain Corelli (NZ) (Tavistock) - pictured as a yearling - could potentially have black type on his agenda this spring after breaking his maiden at just his second start for the Mick Price/Michael Kent Jnr training partnership.

Mick Price has a bit of time for Captain Corelli, a $225,000 purchase he selected from the Haunui Book 1 draft at Karaka 2019 and as the second foal of G2 winner and G1 performer FLORIA (NZ) (Savabeel), it would certainly be a pleasing result to land blacktype so early in her broodmare career.

Counties Cup and Waikato Cup heroine ANNIE HIGGINS (NZ) (O’Reilly) holds a special place in the heart of her breeder, Marie Leicester and, the long-term staff at Haunui Farm and she looks to have produced a promising young horse in Savannah Cloud (NZ) (Savabeel). Purchased by Wylie Dalziel and Peter Moody for $140,000 at Karaka 2019, he was placed twice in two starts at 2YO and now three, has some hefty spring targets should all fall into place this spring. He’s one to watch this coming weekend as he makes his seasonal debut.

Former Haunui stallion SHOWCASING (GB) (Oasis Dream) looks to have two more progressive horses in Singapore with Be You and Booma who were both impressive winners on debut as three-year-olds in August and September respectively.

Be You has some big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of older brother BE BEE (NZ) (Showcasing), who was crowned Champion 2YO of Singapore and was a leading sprinter in his three and four-year-old seasons. A $170,000 purchase by Jerry Sung, trainer Shane Baertschiger rates version 2.0, better than the original so, time will tell.

And this past weekend Boomba, made things look easy over 1200m on debut for Australian ex-pat Cliff Brown who purchased the Soliloquy Lodge homebred from our 2019 Book 1 draft for $100,000. He is definitely a horse to follow throughout this prep and beyond.