A fresh-up tilt at Saturday’s Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton will give The Radiant One an opportunity to add to a proud New Zealand Cup Carnival legacy.
The Radiant One races in the yellow, green, black and pink colours of her respected owner-trainer-breeders the Dennis brothers, who have been a mainstay of the South Island industry through more than five decades dating back to their foundation mare The Pixie.
The Woodlands siblings have celebrated countless successes throughout the South Island, North Island and Australia since then, and one of their biggest highlights came when The Jewel scored a sparkling victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) during this carnival in 2002.
The Radiant One is a granddaughter of The Jewel, but the family connections to this carnival do not stop there. The Jewel’s half-sister Star Affair is the dam of La Diosa, who added her own name to the 1000 Guineas honour roll in 2016, while close relative The Perfect Pink delivered another 1000 Guineas victory in 2021 with the Dennis brothers as part-owners.
The Radiant One’s sire Darci Brahma was himself a winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in 2005. Her dam The Diamond One was a fourth placegetter in the 1000 Guineas in 2012 and later returned to the carnival to place in the Listed Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).
The Radiant One’s own career spans 23 starts for four wins, eight placings and $176,220 in stakes. Her biggest win came in the Listed Timaru Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton in January of this year, while her two black-type placings include a close third in last year’s edition of the Pegasus Stakes.
The Dennis brothers sent The Radiant One into last year’s Pegasus fresh, lining up for her first start since finishing third in the Listed Great Easter Stakes (1400m) six months earlier. The plan nearly worked to perfection, with The Radiant One beaten by a half-neck and a long head by Not Guilty and Lincoln’s Kruz.
A year later, The Dennis brothers are following the same formula again. Saturday’s $90,000 Pegasus Stakes will be The Radiant One’s first start since the Great Easter on April 20, in which she finished a close and unlucky fifth.
“We ran her fresh in the Pegasus last year and she ran a very good race for third, so we’re sticking to that same plan again this time around,” Tony Dennis said.
“It’s been a bit of a wet spring and we haven’t been able to give her a jumpout or anything like that. But she had an exhibition gallop at Gore a couple of weeks ago, and that seems to have brought her on quite a bit. We’re happy with her.
“Last year’s Pegasus is the only time in her career that she’s run over 1000m. Hopefully we’ve got her fit and ready enough to perform well over that trip first-up again on Saturday.
“We backed her up into the Stewards (Listed, 1200m) last year and she ran very well for fourth, and if she eats up and does everything right after Saturday, we might do the same again.”
The Radiant One will be ridden by Tina Comignaghi, who has been in the saddle for 16 of her 23 starts, winning four and placing in another six. She was aboard for last year’s Pegasus placing.
One notable change from last year is The Radiant One’s position in the TAB’s market. She was a $29 outsider when she placed last year, but goes into Saturday’s race as the $4.20 favourite.