Group One next for Manhattan

Manhattan (Bettor’s Delight) cemented her place among New Zealand’s very best racemares with her brilliant harness racing victory in the $28,000 Group Three Caduceus Club Northern Breeders Stakes (2200m) at Alexandra Park on Friday night.

The NZB Standardbred graduate registered her first stake-race success in style with a powerful performance for trainer Bob Butt and driver Matthew White.

Manhattan was sourced for $45,000 from Studholme Bloodstock at the 2019 Christchurch National Yearling Sale by her owners, The Travelling Reserves Syndicate.

The four-year-old stamped her class by running a slick 2.38.4 time, just 0.1sec outside of champion mare Adore Me’s (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) race record.

The outstanding front-running display showed Manhattan is right on track for this week’s $100,000 Group One Queen Of Hearts (2200m) at Alexandra Park.

That will mean many of the Travelling Reserves Syndicate will enjoy the thrill of having their first starter in a Group One event. And it will also continue the epic journey their NZB Standardbred graduate has taken them on.

“The syndicate are a great bunch of blokes having the time of their lives,” Bob Butt said.

“She has always been pretty handy but she has kept on improving and now she is one of the best mares in the country.
“They plan to keep on racing her before breeding from her, with the record she has now and the family she is from, you’d think she would leave a pretty valuable foal.”

Manhattan is a half-sister to No Matter Wat (A Rocknroll Dance) who spectacularly won this month’s Group One New Zealand Oaks (2600m) at Addington.

Butt hopes Manhattan can seize her Group One opportunity on Friday night.

“She can really roll along in front as she did on Friday night, Matty drove her perfectly.”

“With a decent draw in the Queen Of Hearts she will take a bit of catching.

“She is in the form of her life, so now is the time for her to have a good crack at a Group One,” he said.

The progeny of Wat A Woman  (Mach Three) are not the only stock kicking serious goals for Studholme Bloodstock recently.

NZB Standardbred graduate Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) was an outstanding winner of the $100,000 Group One Ace Of Spades (1980m) at Addington earlier this month.

Fellow Studholme Bloodstock-bred graduate Captain Tom (Captaintreacherous) was a brilliant winner of his debut at Winton on Thursday, bolting in by nine lengths. He was purchased from the 2021 Christchurch Yearling Sale for $32,000 by IG & LF Thomson.

From NZB Standardbred