Last season’s Champion Two-Year-Old of New Zealand, Anabandana looks to be in for a lucrative campaign after thrashing her rivals in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings today.
Racing for the first time since back to back Group One wins earlier in the year, Anabandana led for much of the race and accelerated away from her rivals when asked by rider Opie Bosson.
Anabandana, a daughter of top international sire Anabaa, was purchased by leading New Zealand based bloodstock agent Marcus Corban for $26,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
Plucked from the draft of her breeder, Reavill Farm, Anabandana was purchased on behalf of Hamilton based client Christopher Grace.
Not surprisingly Grace was thrilled with the performance of his star galloper and predicted bigger and better things over the coming weeks.
“Today wasn’t a day where we were overly confident,” Grace said while describing the performance and feeling as “unbelievable.”
“It’s her first race back and she’s got a lot of improvement in her. That (performance) was spooky.”
“We’ve got races down the track that we’re really aiming her for. Don (Sellwood, trainer) is a conditioner of racehorses and he said today the horse would tell us – I think she shouted pretty loud.”
Anabandana is one of five winners from the top producing Nureyev mare Great Notice.
Her other progeny include the recent Sydney stakes winner Gybe and fellow Sydney winners Namsarai and Forthwith.
Great Notice, Anabandana’s dam, is a sister to two stakes performers including international stakes winner European Rose and Nureyev’s Girl – the stakes performed dam of the Group One winning and now Melbourne based carnival star King’s Rose.
King’s Rose, now in the stables of Peter Moody, has won the Group Two Memsie Stakes and Group Two Stocks Stakes at her two Australian runs this spring.
Winner: Anabandana
Breeding: Anabaa-Great Notice (Nureyev)
Race: Hawke’s Bay RC Gold Trail Stakes G3 (1200m)
Sold for: $26,000
Sale: 2009 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale
Vendor: Reavill Farm
Buyer: Marcus Corban Bloodstock
Earnings: NZ$392,500
Owner(s): CJ Grace
Trainer: Don Sellwood
