Last week it was Showcause flying the flag for Cloughmore in the Group 3 New Zealand Cup; this week brought another Group victory with a Cloughmore connection thanks to Tinseltown – also the product of one of our recommended matings – scoring an easy victory in yesterday’s Group 2 Counties Cup at Pukekohe.
The Pentire – Tinsel (by Jetball) gelding is one of New Zealand’s leading stayers, having previously won both the Avondale Cup (G2) and Rotorua Cup (G3). Tinseltown is a typical Pentire in that he is capable of a real turn of foot in his best performances; 57 kg. did not slow him down in the final stages of Saturday’s event, but one wonders how much more weight he can successfully manage in Group company. At the Cup presentation, an Australian campaign was mentioned as a possibility – following an attempt at next month’s Waikato Cup
Another parallel with last week was that another Cloughmore representative ran promisingly without winning. At Riccarton our homebred The Jungle Boy ran a meritorious second in the last race of the day; at Counties the smart 3YO filly Shamabelle – a recommended purchase as a Select yearling – finished impressively to place third in a strong Rating 70 1400 event which also concluded the day’s racing. She is a filly to keep an eye on as the filly semi-classics unfold.