Darci Brahma wise choice for Dennis Bros

Dennis brothers - Ray, Joe, Martin, Tony Dennis. Photo: ODT
Dennis brothers - Ray, Joe, Martin, Tony Dennis. Photo: ODT
The decision to send mares to leading sire Darci Brahma paid off for well-known Southland breeders the Dennis Brothers at Winton yesterday.

Joe, Martin, Ray and Tony were already on to a winner before yesterday’s meeting, having produced the Darci Brahma-sired The Precious One from their Ravelston Stud  to burst on to the racing scene earlier this year from Claire Anderton’s stable.

Just two races into yesterday’s card, the brothers had three winners by the sire after The Sparkle won race 1 and The Lustre won race 2. Both fillies were ridden by Chris Johnson and trained by the Dennis brothers along with Tony’s son, Robert.

The trainers went on to score a hat-trick when  Nightcap won race 3 for rider Gosen Jogoo. Both The Sparkle and The Lustre  hold nominations for the One Thousand Guineas, but of the two The Sparkle is more likely to join her relation The Precious One in the New Zealand Cup week classic.

"She is just a more forward type. She is more physically forward and more mentally forward," Robert Dennis said.

"The Lustre will be a better horse in the autumn."

The Sparkle is likely to take her next step towards the big race over 1335m at Gore early next month  rather than jumping up to the 1600m of the Zacinto Stakes at Riccarton later this month.

"... we have only gone 1200m today so we might just be pushing it," Robert Dennis said.

"We might be better to go to Gore."

In something of a rare occurrence, the Dennis stable produced a winner that is not from their own Ravelston Stud breed yesterday. Nightcap (race 3), a Roc De Cambes 4yr-old mare bred by The Oaks  Stud, was formerly prepared by Graeme and Debbie Rogerson before moving south.

Later in the Winton programme, Come Fly With Me scored her second consecutive win in the Winton Cup for trainer Steven Blair-Edie.

The trainer and winning rider, Lee Callaway, also produced He Aint Heavy to win the prior event on the card, race 6.

Blair-Edie notched a treble of training wins when  Wild Jack won race 10 for his stable apprentice Amless Bohorun.

In race 5, the  open sprint, Sally McKay produced Kingpin to win while her star mare, Showemup, disappointed favourite punters by running third. 

 

 

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