Fourth NSW Breeders Challenge Blue winner by Warrawee Needy

The world champion Warrawee Needy (1:46.8), who stands at Yirribee Pacing Stud, Wagga (NSW), sired the harness racing winner Soap Opera and the third placegetter My Bula Bus in the Group 2 $100,000 Final of the NSW Breeders Challenge Blue for three-year-old fillies at Menangle on September 7.

Soap Opera, who started from the outside No. 9 gate, came from absolute last on the home turn to score a remarkable last-stride win in 1:53.3. She has now won seven races – including a Group 2 and a Listed event — with six placings from 20 starts for $137,398 in stakes.

SOAP OPERA REPLAY

The filly became the fourth NSW Breeders Challenge Blue winner sired by Warrawee Needy, the others being Ideal Dreams (1:52.6) and Saveeon (1:52.8), who took out the two-year-old fillies’ divisions in 2021 and 2022 respectively, and Warrawee Drinking (1:54), winner of the two-year-old colts’ decider in 2020.

Warrawee Needy’s other feature race winners in Australia include Im So Needy (1:54.1), winner of the Group 3 NSW Go Girlfriend Series, Miss Froufrou 1:55.8 (APG Queensland Gold Bullion), the dual Queensland Group winner Uncle Shank (1:49.4) and the NSW Bred 3YO Final victor Our Goat (1:53.1).

All told, Warrawee Needy has sired 71 individual winners from 117 Australian bred starters and they have earned $2.8 million, an average of $24,400 per starter.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink