Three-year-old filly Medalza secured an early double for trainer Stephen Marsh at Te Rapa on Wednesday.

 

The daughter of Medaglia D’oro took out the Website Angels 1200, just after stablemate Mrs Rumble had won the opening race on the card.

 

Jumping from an awkward barrier of 11, Medalza was kept three-wide for the journey, with jockey Samantha Collett electing to stay out on the better footing.

 

Collett was able to navigate Medalza into a gap with 250m to go, where she was able to show a good turn of foot to win by a length over Wondering, with a further nose back to Tumbril in third.

 

Marsh was pleased with the first-up win by his filly and he believes she has strengthened since her last preparation.

 

Medalza headed into Wednesday off the back of two runner-up trial performances and Marsh said her wide barrier was his only concern heading into the race.

 

“Her trials have been outstanding, she was second in both of them,” he said. “She has always shown us a fair bit, but she has just been weak and hasn’t quite finished her races off.

 

“She raced in blinkers last prep and we have taken them off. The only concern was the draw, but it was a really good effort and she won well.”

 

Collett had ridden Medalza in her trials and was pleased to have retained the ride on raceday after being impressed with the filly.

 

“I rode her at the trials and I was really happy with the feel she gave me that day,” she said.

 

“(With the wide barrier) it worked out that I was able to stay out of the horrible stuff on the inside. 

 

“She was brave, halfway up the straight there was a gap for her, but she really had to pull her head out to do it and she was strong to the line.”

 

 

 

Champion jockey Opie Bosson was taken to hospital with symptoms of concussion and complaining of a sore shoulder following a fall at Te Rapa on Wednesday. 

 

The incident occurred just after Bosson’s mount Cicciolina had past the finishing post in third place behind $56-outsider Cherry Lane in the Fairview Motors 1400m. 

 

Bosson lay prone on the track near the outside fence for several minutes before being stretchered to the ambulance and taken to hospital in a conscious state. 

 

 

 

New Zealand mare Savvy Coup was the subject of widespread interest on the Gold Coast on the opening day of Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

 

The high-class daughter of Savabeel was supplemented into the auction and was purchased by Coolmore for A$1,000,000.

 

“She’s a lovely type with a lot of quality,” Tom Magnier said. “The team was very keen on her and she was bought for Justify. He’ll get a tremendous book, we’re very excited.”

 

Savvy Coup was originally bought out of Waikato Stud’s 2016 Karaka draft for $65,000.

 

Trained by Michael and Matthew Pitman, she won twice at Group One level and also claimed two Group Three events.

 

Other Kiwi mares to change hands included the Team Rogerson-trained Gift Of Power, who was purchased by Rosemont Stud in Victoria for A$800,000, the Baker-Forsman prepared stakes performers Marcellina (A$200,000) and Rubira (A$100,000) and the Ken Rae and Krystal Williams-Tuhoro trained Group Three winner Prom Queen (A$190,000).

 

 

 

Last Sunday’s Australian Hurdle (3900m) winner Chequered Flag is likely to have run his last race after emerging from the feature event with a serious joint injury.

 

Co-trainer Ciaron Maher, who prepares Chequered Flag in partnership with David Eustace, confirmed that the elite hurdler may not race again as he faced an operation and a long period of rehabilitation. 

 

"He injured his joint which is a great shame," Maher said.

 

"But he’s been a very good horse and there’s a great group of guys in him so if he can’t race on, I’m sure he’ll be a good paddock mate or a nanny.

 

"He’s such a nice horse."

 

A son of Raise The Flag, Chequered Flag began his career in New Zealand with Mark Brooks before transferring across the Tasman and he bows out of racing as the winner of $430,000 in prizemoney, with eight wins to his name and a further 19 placings.

 

His reputation as a hurdler grew again after he gamely beat fellow Kiwi import Killarney Kid at Sandown on Sunday to win the Australian Hurdle by two and three quarter lengths. Notably, there was 35 lengths to the third horse Lucques.