Great Sapling Stakes winners

The Sapling Stakes run at Ashburton is New Zealand’s oldest two year old feature and this year’s running will be the 106^th.

The list of winners includes Young Quinn, Noodlum, Hilarious Guest, Inky Lord, Tuapeka Knight, Terror To Love, Krug and Marketplace.

The win in 1998 by Inky Lord (Lordship) was very much a Mid-Canterbury affair.

With Inky Lord’s regular driver Rick May suspended, another Mid-Canterbury reinsman Kerry O’Reilly took the drive.

At the end of 2400 metre mobile Inky Lord’s winning margin was two and a half lengths from Watch Me Fella.

The race was described as a ‘rough house’ affair and the stewards launched an inquiry into an incident that occurred at the 400 but after a lengthy debut the placings stood.

Inky Lord was owned by Gavin Saunders and trained at Methven by his brother Brian, and the win was one of three in eight starts for the colt as a two year old.

He went on to win a further eight races as a three year old, including the New Zealand Championship Stakes and the 1989 Group One Great Northern Derby.

At the end of his five seasons of racing he’d won twenty one races including one of the great New Zealand Cup wins in 1989.

No horse captured more media attention in the late 1980s than Tuapeka Knight (Smooth Fella).

The colt bred by the late Father Dan Cummings of Tuapeka Lodge was bought by Kevin Court for $25,000 at the 1986 National Yearling Sales.

He made his debut for Court at Ascot Park in December that year and in the hands of Earl Swain won by a length and a quarter.

He was then purchased by Brian O’Meara for $175,000 and put into the ownership of the Horseplayers Syndicate.

From there Tuapeka Knight commenced a nine race unbeaten streak which ended in the Sapling Stakes at Ashburton in June in the hands of John Hay.

The winning time of 3-02.2 was a new race and New Zealand record – one of three records he broke that season.

After his Sapling Stakes win, Tuapeka Knight was re-syndicated for $2 million to the Knight Partnership who were setting him up for a stud career.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink