Cork’s dashing first-up victory has significantly boosted her family’s profile for breeder Blandford Lodge.

The Pam Gerard-trained daughter of Complacent stormed to victory in the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m), in her first appearance since last spring, for a sixth career victory from 27 appearances.

Cork was purchased from the draft of Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax’s Blandford draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $30,000 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore Stables.

She is out of Little Bit Irish, whose four foals to race have all been successful and a mare also close to the heart of the Bax’s daughter Kylie.

“She never raced because she got very sick with pneumonia when she was young,” she said.

“It was a thrill to get that stakes victory and in the interim I was able to steal a gelding, who probably wasn’t up to scratch to go to the sales, when Dad asked if I wanted him.

“I said yes please and that was Little Bit Of Love. He’s still young and got a lot ahead of him.

“He’s a very good horse and loves it wet, he tries really hard and is getting better as he gets older and developed, before it was always hard for him to hold his condition.

“He just loves what he does, and we’ve got lots of owners involved in him through my syndications and they’re having a ball.”

The son of Time Test has won six of his 18 starts for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott.

“He spent most of his years at my place and then I leased Little Bit Irish for one year to send to Proisir and got a filly,” she said.

Also syndicated and named Prudentia, the lightly raced stablemate of Little Bit Of Love broke her maiden at Tauranga last month at her third attempt.

“Obviously, what Cork did at the weekend has given Prudentia more residual value so it’s a really exciting family,” Bax said.

“Little Bit Irish is an O’Reilly mare and they’re invaluable and very lucky we’ve got her, she’s such a sweetheart as well.”

Her daughter by Contributer is also in the Wexford Stables system after they purchased her for $240,000 at Karaka earlier this year.

“They absolutely adore her and have syndicated her to some of their clients, she’s a very nice filly,” Bax said.

In foal to young stallion star Super Seth, Little Bit Irish is out of the American-bred Red Ransom mare Whiffle from the family of the Gr.1 Waikato International Stakes (2000m) winner Mission Critical.

“Whiffle is here and I’ve got a Contributer filly out of her that will be going to Wexford so hopefully that works as well,” Bax said.