Sakhee’s Soldier has rounded off a spectacular Auckland Cup carnival for trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman by winning the New Zealand Stakes.
The much-improved four-year-old beat hot favourite Rising Romance by a nose, and then held onto it after a protest by Rising Romance’s connections.
Jockey Opie Bosson said Sakhee’s Soldier pushed Rising Romance three or four horse lengths wide near the home turn, which given the nose margin was enough to cost his horse the race.
But the stewards ruled that the interference was minimal and that Rising Romance had her chance to get past the winner in the final 350m but wasn’t able to.
It was the second Group One for the day for Baker and Forsman, who won the Diamond Stakes for two-year-olds with Dal Cielo, and their third Group One for the carnival after Mongolian Khan took out the New Zealand Derby last Saturday.
Sakhee’s Soldier began the season running in rating 75 races but improved enough to win the Group Two Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day and was taking weight-for-age company for the first time.
“We’ve given this horse time and he’s just got better and better,” Baker said.
“He’s also gone to another level racing right-handed and he loves Ellerslie.”
Sentiment was on Rising Romance’s side after the death of her co-trainer Dean Logan from cancer on Thursday, but Sakhee’s Soldier was just too good.
Rising Romance, runner-up in the Caulfield Cup last year, is expected to head to Sydney to be aimed at the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Sakhee’s Soldier is nominated for the Queen Elizabeth and the Doncaster Mile but Baker said he’d have to think hard about whether his horse was up to Sydney class.
Bosson was aboard Dal Cielo when winning the Diamond Stakes, coming from just off the pace to beat Battle Time and Rocanto.
Dal Cielo is likely to head to the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes on March 28, though he still holds a nomination for the Sires’ Produce Stakes in Sydney on April 4.
