Dual Group One winner Orchestral has been retired.
The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained mare suffered an atrial fibrillation when running 10th in last month’s Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and the decision was made to bring the curtain down on her racing career.
“Unfortunately, she had an atrial fibrillation in the race and her heart hasn’t come back to a normal rhythm,” Wellwood said. “That counts her out as being a racing prospect, so she has been officially retired and is going to be a mum.”
Orchestral was a standout on the track, particularly as a three-year-old, when she strung together five consecutive wins, including the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m), Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), before placing in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m).
Last season she went on to win the $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m) and placed in the Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m), bringing her career tally to seven wins and four placings from 18 starts, with earnings north of $2.7 million.
“She has been a wonderful mare,” Wellwood said. “When you look back through her record you pinch yourself that you are involved with a horse like her.
“The Karaka Millions was very exciting, that is probably when she announced herself. To be able to win a Derby with Roger was a dream come true. I joked with him when we first started training together that he needed to teach me how to win a Derby and I remember when he came down the stairs after the Derby he said, ‘job done’.
“To win a Group One in Australia too just capped it off, she really showed her class. She is certainly one out of the box and you feel very privileged to be involved with a horse like her.
“It has been a dream run and although it is gutting to not have another season with her, we look forward to the Litt family hopefully breeding some superstars from her.
“We have unfortunately missed this (breeding) season. She will have a nice break for 10 or 11 months and look for a boyfriend in the new season.”
While disappointed to lose Orchestral from his barn, Wellwood was pleased with his team’s efforts over the weekend, recording three wins over as many venues.
Regally-bred filly Dance The Night got the stable off to a winning start when taking out the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1600 at Pukekohe at just her third start.
A daughter of Group One winner Stolen Dance, Dance The Night has shown good progression, finishing seventh on debut in a stacked three-year-old maiden field at Taupo in September before finishing runner-up behind stablemate Ariadne over a mile at Pukekohe last month.
She returned to the South Auckland venue on Saturday, where she was backed into a $5.30 second favourite by punters, and duly delivered against older rivals.
“She is a nice filly,” Wellwood said. “It is always hard for those fillies against those older horses. She was only getting 3.5 kilos from a four-year-old gelding. I thought it was a tough effort and she is probably only going to get better from the run.”
Attaining black-type has become the focus with the filly, and her trainers are eyeing some stakes targets with her over the holiday period.
“We need to sit down and have a talk with the owners, but whether we go to one of those miles, the Eulogy (Gr.3, 1600m) or Boxing Day (Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic, 1600m), or whether we look at heading to New Year’s Day over 2000m (Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes),” Wellwood said. “Hopefully she is going to be able to pick-up some black-type in one of those races.”
At Trentham on Saturday, stablemate Foreverintime made a winning return to New Zealand in the Wellington Seamarket Sprint (1200m), having previously raced out of Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s Pakenham barn, for whom she won one of her 10 starts across the Tasman.
The Barneswood Farm-raced mare was previously in the care of Peter and Dawn Williams in New Zealand, for whom she won on debut before running fifth in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).
“She looks very exciting,” Wellwood said. “We didn’t really know what to expect as it was her first run for the stable and we gave her a very quiet trial.
“Peter and Dawn Williams had her in New Zealand, and I know they had a high opinion of her when she was here. For whatever reason she didn’t quite fire in Australia, but it was great for her to come back here and do that.
“Off that effort you would like to think that she can put her hand up in some nice races going forward.”
On Sunday, the stable celebrated the maiden win of four-year-old mare Honour Mission in the Mike Fraser-Jones @ Bayleys 2200 at Te Aroha.
“She did that nicely, but I think with more time she could make into a nice staying mare,” Wellwood said.
Looking ahead to this coming weekend, Wellwood is excited to head to Te Rapa on Saturday with last start stakes performer Spellbound and three-win mare She’s A Dealer, while stakes performer Dealt With will head to Trentham on Sunday.