Racing: Richly bred gelding wins

Chapel Star (closest to camera) and Halo Buster battle out the finish of the rating 85 1200m at...
Chapel Star (closest to camera) and Halo Buster battle out the finish of the rating 85 1200m at Wingatui yesterday, with Chapel Star earning the call for first after a close photo finish. Photo by Matt Smith.
The world of thoroughbred racing can often involve big money - and the family of Wingatui winner Astroturf is no exception.

His dam, Astrodame, was sold for $A775,000 ($NZ852,610) at a broodmare sale in Sydney in 2008 and the horse himself was passed in for $175,000 at the 2012 Karaka yearling sales.

So one question springs to mind. How did a well-bred son of Encosta De Lago end up winning a 1600m maiden on a very heavy Wingatui track yesterday?

Astroturf's trainer, Michael Daly, has the answer.

Daly bought the gelding at the Karaka weanling, broodmare and mixed bloodstock sale in May for just $4000 for Bob and Diane Goodeve.

The 3yr-old was formerly owned by his breeder, Deborah Ho, who bought Astrodame in 2008, the same year she also spent $A2.4 million on the mare She Will Be Loved at a winter broodmare sale.

Ho is the daughter of Stanley Ho, a Macau casino magnate who is worth more than $2 billion.

Astroturf, who has undergone a wind operation, had his first two starts for Matamata trainer Darryn Weatherley.

''He's not a bad horse,'' Daly said.

''He went two good races up north. In one he was last, and the other he was fifth, but they were both tough runs. He was four wide the whole way and only battled the last furlong [200m].''

Astroturf had his first start for Daly at Riccarton last month, running a solid second in his South Island debut.

''He can handle wet tracks. He ploughs through it like it's a firm track.''

Based on that run at Riccarton and yesterday's victory at Wingatui, the question is whether he will chase the money during Grand National week at Riccarton next month.

''We might have to on that [result],'' Daly said, as he went to gather the horse.

Chapel Star right at homeAstroturf may have just started his winning career, but Chapel Star is a familiar name to Wingatui race fans with four of his six career wins coming at Wingatui.

You can make that five after yesterday's win when jockey Daniel Bothamley extricated him out of a tight spot to nab Halo Buster on the line.

The son of King's Chapel had to lug 62.5kg, being eight rating points above the next highest-rated horse, Halo Buster.

''It was a lot to carry but he's a class horse. You knew he would come home late but I didn't expect him to win that sort of race.''

Kennedy hoped to continue with his plan to race on the last day of the Grand National carnival, but his next move could be determined by the penalty Chapel Star receives for yesterday's win in the rating 85 grade.

''The handicapper should look after him fairly well - you'd be disappointed if he got two points.

"On that field, he should only get one, but we'll just have to see.''

Chapel Star's win ensured Kennedy had his best season to date, training 14 winners - one better than last season.

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