Australian raider Ockham’s Razor has beaten the locals to win New Zealand’s richest race, the Karaka Million, at Ellerslie.
It was another big win for jockey Craig Williams whose season includes the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate in Australia and Group One wins in Japan and Hong Kong.
The Anthony Freedman-trained Ockham’s Razor came from well off the pace to down Silk Pins and Warhorse in the $NZ1 million ($A780,000) race for 2011 Karaka sales graduates.
His half length win came despite his waywardness in the straight at his first race on a right-handed track.
Ockham’s Razor came to New Zealand on the strength of a distant second at his debut behind Sweet Little Lies at Caulfield.
Freedman admitted he was a little concerned about his chances on Sunday after Sweet Little Lies was beaten into fourth in a Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield on Thursday.
“We were starting to doubt the form, but he’d done well over here and Craig rode a patient race and he was strongest on the line.”
Williams said Freedman had told him to trust the horse and to try to get some cover as they thought he would finish strongly.
“We were a bit further back but they didn’t go that fast and we had cover on and off,” Williams said.
“I was happy to let him slide to put himself into the race.
“You could see he got a little bit lost on two or three occasions but it was a very dominant win today.”
At $170,000, Ockham’s Razor was the most expensive purchase from the first crop of Any Suggestion, a topline Australian sprinter now standing at Rich Hill Stud near Matamata south of Auckland.
Australia’s other contender Sell In May finished eighth.
NZN AAP TURF
