Atlantic City wins Classique

The Phil Williamson trained Atlantic City (Volstead) was green but courageous in the $45,000 Group Three Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Two Year Old Fillies Classique at harness racing’s HQ Addington last night.

In the small field, driver Brad Williamson took Atlantic City to the top where she set a solid pace but the filly was noticeably wanting to switch off throughout the race. Frazzled offered a serious challenge in the straight, but Atlantic City held on to win by half a neck.

ATLANTIC CITY REPLAY

“She was pretty green and was having a good look around. To her credit when that other horse came up to her she fought hard over the last 100 metres and got the win,” Brad told FNLs.

It was the two year old filly’s second win in three starts.

The winning time on an off track, was 2-30.8. The New Zealand record for two year old fillies from a mobile over 1980 metres of 2-26.0 is held by High Energy.

Atlantic City’s next goal is the Group One $100,000 Ace of Hearts at Addington on 29^th November where she’s likely to meet the unbeaten Habibti Pat, who’s trained by Greg and Nina Hope.

“She was too good for us last time but this filly’s progressive, she’s got great manners and wants to be a racehorse, so she’ll go a good way.”

Atlantic City was offered for sale as a yearling at the 2023 NZB Standardbred Sales by Shard Farm on behalf of her breeders Peter and Janet Argus but was passed in for $17,500.

At that point none of the progeny of Volstead had qualified in New Zealand. In the space of six months that quickly changed as his progeny began to appear at trials and qualify, led by We Can Have It All (March 2023), Yosemite (April 2023), Empire City (May 2023), Drive For Victory (May 2023) and Freya (June 2023).

Volstead is now the in vogue trotting stallion and his book is full for this breeding season.

Co-incidentally Empire City was also offered at the yearling sales the year before but was withdrawn. So the Argus’s got lucky and they now have two black type trotting fillies.

This is the third year the race has been run at Addington. The previous two editions were run at Ashburton over 1700 metres. The feature was won last year by Atlantic City’s full sister Empire City who lines up in Monday’s $40,000 Group Three Neumann’s Tyres Vipal Hambletonian Three Year Old Classic.

When you dig deep there’s a fantastic depth in Atlantic City’s pedigree, one that Phil Williamson is very familiar with.

Atlantic City’s third dam Chiola’s Lass (Chiola Hanover) won ten of her seventeen starts for Sean McCaffrey including the G2 PPG Wrightson Rosso Antico Stakes, a heat and the final of The Holmfield at Moonee Valley and the 1991 Victoria Trotters Oaks at the same venue.

As a broodmare Chiola’s Lass left Cabaletta (Gee Whiz II), Allegro Agitato (Sundon) and Skyvalley (Muscles Yankee).

Cabaletta won seven races and was placed in the New Zealand Trotting Derby, the New Zealand Trotting Oaks, the Northern Trotting Derby and the New Zealand Sires’ Stakes Trotters Championship.

Allegro Agitato won twenty two races for Williamson including the G1 NZ Trotting FFA, the G1 National Trot, Two G1 NZ Trotting Championships, two G2 Ashburton Trotters Flying Miles, Two Trotters Flying Miles at Cambridge, and the G2 Lyell Creek.

She also had success in Australia, winning the G1 Australian Trotting Grand Prix at Moonee Valley and she ran second in the Bill Collins Mile.

Skyvalley won twenty four races including the G1 Breeders Crown for three year old trotters, the G1 Breeders Crown for four year old trotters and the G1 Bill Collins Mile.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink