'Veloce' Pounces in Railway

Volpe Veloce | Magic Millions

Volpe Veloce (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}) kicked off 2018 in a big way, winning her first top-shelf race in the G1 Railway S. at Ellerslie on Monday. It was also a first Group 1 title for pilot Jake Bayliss.

“This means the world to me,” Bayliss told NZ Racing News. “Limited opportunities have stopped me getting success like this, but I've been working hard since I came to New Zealand. I'm now a Group 1 winning jockey, but I just can't explain the feeling.”

Favoured at 2-1 on Monday, Volpe Veloce jumped well, but was soon relegated to second last as G1 Sires Produce S. victress Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands {Aus}) and Fully Funded (NZ) (Fully Fledged {NZ}) showed the way. Rallying sharply up the grandstand side as the field cornered wide in the slow going, the 4-year-old hit another gear inside the final 200 metres, inhaled early stretch leader and 2017 Railway victor Start Wondering (NZ) (Eighth Wonder {NZ}) and motored home to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Packing Pins (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) was a nose in front of Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) in second, while the last named was a neck to the good of Start Wondering.

“It's amazing isn't it,” said co-trainer Graham Richardson. “She deserves it, the owners deserve it and so does [co-trainer] Gavin Parker. He's done an enormous job, along with the staff, so congratulations to everybody. I won it 21 years ago and I have a had a couple of seconds, so this means the world to me. We're going to celebrate today and then bring on the [G1] Telegraph [at Trentham on Jan. 20]. We might even go to the [G1] Newmarket [H. at Flemington on Mar. 10] in Australia, as Jake seems to think she is up to it, so after a run like that, on ground she doesn't handle, who knows.”

A A$120,000 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale buy (lot 446) for Lyndhurst Farm from the Newgate Farm consignment in 2014, Volpe Veloce was offered by Lyndhurst and snapped up for NZ$240,000 out of the NZB National Yearling Sale in 2015 by Richardson Racing as lot 273. Untouchable in her first seven starts, good for two group wins up to 1600 metres, Volpe Veloce first tasted defeat when fourth at the hooves of subsequent New Zealand Horse of the Year and MG1SW Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) trying 2000 metres for the first time in the G2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic in February of 2017. Given a lengthy freshening, the newly minted 4-year-old was back to winning ways at Te Rapa in a 1200-metre handicap on Aug. 5, but found the waters too deep when sixth in the 1400m G1 Tarzino Trophy S. on Sept. 2 and in the Sept. 23 G1 Windsor Park Plate, both at Hastings. She was last seen winning a course and distance handicap on Dec. 9.

 

Pedigree Notes…

The second Group 1 winner from his first Southern Hemisphere crop for Newgate Farm shuttle stallion Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) besides G1 Queen of the Turf S. heroine Foxplay (Aus), Volpe Veloce is out of G3 Blue Diamond Prelude heroine Bardego, who has previously produced Australian stakes winner and dual Group 3 placed gelding Delago Bolt (Aus) (Delago Brom {Aus}). On the heels of the Railway S. heroine, is her placed year-younger full-brother Raposa Rapida (Aus). Bardego joined the Rushton Park broodmare band in 2015, after being acquired for A$46,000 out of the Gold Coast Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale carrying a full-sister, Zorro Rapido (Aus), who is now two and has yet to start. The yearling half-sister by Helmet (Aus) will be offered as part of Victoria breeder Rushton Park's draft as lot 531. Click for the free Arion.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

Monday, Ellerslie, New Zealand
RAILWAY S.-G1, NZ$200,000 (US$141,779/£104,923/€118,042), ARC, 1-01, Open Set Weight, 1200mT, 1:10.65, Slow.
1–VOLPE VELOCE (AUS), 54.0, m, 4, by Foxwedge (Aus)
                1st Dam: Bardego (Aus) (GSW-Aus), by Barathea (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Devil's Gold (Aus), by Bellotto (USA)
                3rd Dam: Lilac Silk (Aus), by Dalmacia (NZ)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (NZ$240,000 Ylg 2015 NZB Premier
Yearling Sale; A$120,000 Wlg 2014 MM National Weanling
Sale). O-D & C Adams, H Allender, K Anderson, M Chubb, P
Dixon, R Featherstone, G Mackin, G Richardson, K & L
Robinson, M Skilling, P Spiers, B Wong & K Woodmass; B-Mr N
Vass (NSW); T-G Richardson & G Parker; J-Jake Bayliss;
NZ$120,000. Lifetime Record: 13-10-0-0, NZ$464,000. *1/2 to
Delago Bolt (Aus) (Delago Brom {Aus}), SW & MGSP-Aus,
$410,175. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Packing Pins, 56.0, g, 7, Pins (Aus)–Splashing Out, by O'Reilly.
(NZ$160,000 Ylg 2012 NZB National Yearling Sale). O-Angel
Cruz; B- Waikato Stud 2001 Ltd (NZ); T-T & M Cruz; J-T D
Thornton; NZ$39,000.
3–Volks Lightning, 53.0, m, 5, Volksraad (GB)–Next Century, by
Stravinsky (USA). (NZ$60,000 2YO 2014 NZB Ready to Run
Sale). O-Vermair Volks Lightning Syndicate (Mgr: B McCullum);
B-Windsor Park Stud Ltd (NZ); T-G & D Rogerson; J-C W
Johnson; NZ$19,000.
Margins: 1HF, NO, NK. Odds: 2.40, 8.10, 18.40.
Also Ran: Start Wondering, Sweet Leader, Melody Belle, Speech Craft (Aus) , Go Nicholas, Somethingvain, Fully Funded.
Click for the Racing Post chart. NZ Racing Video.

Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.

Copy Article Link

X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.