Kukeracha Gives New Zealand-Breds Derby Sweep

Darley's QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1)-winning stallion Night of Thunder  broke through for his first worldwide group 1 winner at stud May 29, when the Chris Waller-trained Kukeracha prevailed in an epic duel with stablemate Senor Toba to win the Moet & Chandon Queensland Derby (G1) at Eagle Farm. 

The question pre-race for the Queensland classic, returning after its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was whether anything could stop Explosive Jack in his rampaging quest for a record-equaling fourth Derby this year, having won the Schweppes Tasmanian Derby, Bentley Australian Derby (G1), and TAB South Australian Derby (G1). 

Despite a valiant effort from the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained star 3-year-old, he could only manage third, a length behind the winner, when sent off the favorite, as the surging Kukeracha saw off the rallying grey Senor Toba on his outside, to claim victory by the barest of margins at the post. 

It is yet another big-race success for the silks of Neville Morgan this season, with Kukeracha adding to group-race victories for Shaquero and triumph in the Schweppes All Aged Stakes (G1) for Kolding. 

The win had a distinct New Zealand flavor to it, as Kiwi-born trainer Waller teamed up with leading hoop James McDonald for success on the NZ$130,000 (US$88,920) NZB Karaka Yearling Sale graduate, who was consigned by Waikato Stud and bred by their veterinarian, Dr. Chris Phillips. 

The result meant that every Australian Derby this season has gone to a New Zealand-bred horse with Kukeracha's Queensland triumph and Explosive Jack's three Derbies added to by the Bob Peters-owned Western Empire in Western Australia and Denis Pagan's Johnny Get Angry in the AAMI Victoria Derby (G1).

For Waller, it was his second victory in the race, his first coming in 2013 with the triumph for Hawkspur  and, on this occasion, it was domination for the champion trainer, who saddled the first two home, as well as fourth-placed Achiever. 

"When I saw Explosive Jack kicking I thought we were going to run a nice second or third," Waller said. "We had a great opinion of him as a 2-year-old, but he lost his way a bit. He was gelded and taken through the system."

Kukeracha, now the winner of three of his 13 starts and AU$583,245 in prize money, arrived at the race off the back of a second placing behind Criminal Defence in the Canadian Club Rough Habit Plate (G3). A winner at Geelong on debut, his second success would not come until Boxing Day last year when taken to Eagle Farm.

"He ran a good race up here in the Grand Prix in the summer," continued Waller. "I wanted to give him some experience on the track as he was not racing that well then.

"I think that was a good move because his run in the Queensland Guineas (G2) was good, his last start in the Rough Habit was good, and today he was brilliant."    

Meanwhile, McDonald was rewarded for heading north for the Queensland carnival rides at the risk of losing his jockey's title in Sydney to Tommy Berry, who clawed another winner back at Randwick Saturday to leave the margin at 13.

However, post-race, the leading hoop admitted that, given the choice, he would have partnered with runner-up Senor Toba.

"Chris (Waller) makes the decisions, and I was lucky enough to be on the right horse today. They say jockeys are the worst decision-makers, so I'm happy I did not have that choice," McDonald said.

Kukeracha is one of 58 live foals from the one and only Southern Hemisphere crop of Night of Thunder, a crop that has yielded five stakes winners plus a further stakes-placegetter, with Saturday's Derby hero the first group 1 winner worldwide for the Darley stallion. 

Out of Portrait of a Lady (A.P. Indy), Kukeracha descends from champion 3-year-old filly in Ireland, the Kildanjan Stud Irish Oaks (G1) winner Alydaress, a sister to Park Appeal, the dam of Cape Cross, as well as Flames of Paris, the dam of Ubet BTC Cup (G1) winner Hot Snitzel. 

Park Appeal is also the dam of Pastorale and Arvola, in turn the dams of Iffraaj  and Diktat. 

Portrait of a Lady was purchased by Phillips for AU$40,000 ($29,724) in foal to the Night of Thunder colt that would go on to be named Kukeracha. He is one of nine named foals from the mare, who has a yearling colt by Sacred Falls  and a weanling filly by Ocean Park, a stallion she returned to last year.

Vega's the One in Kingsford-Smith

The second group 1 feature on the Eagle Farm card, the TAB Kingsford-Smith Cup (G1), also went the way of a Northern Hemisphere-based former shuttle stallion that has exerted great influence Down Under.

Whereas Night of Thunder kicked off with his first winner at the elite level, Ballylinch Stud's Lope de Vega  scored his fourth Australian group 1 winner, and 13th worldwide, as Vega One dropped from the clouds in again leading home a quinella training performance, this time for local handler Tony Gollan.

A AU$75,000 ($56,783) graduate of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from the Stockwell Thoroughbreds draft, Vega One became a notable sixth group 1 winner from the auction since 2016. 

In a fiercely contested renewal of the Kingsford-Smith Cup, race leader Jonker looked to have repelled the onslaught of a wall of challengers entering the straight, including Trekking on his outside and Signore Fox to the inner, with Vega One held up in behind under Jamie Kah. However, with turf rapidly running out, Kah steered Vega One into clear air with no more than 100 meters to the winning post, and burst through to, in the end, win by a comfortable half-length margin over Jonker, with the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Signore Fox a short-head back in third. 

The extraordinary ride earned Kah a sixth group 1 success, leaving her out on her own as the most winning group 1 female rider in Australia, breaking Michelle Payne's record of five.

Gollan was overawed at the result on his home track, a fifth group 1 success for the trainer, and reflected on the challenge of getting the 5-year-old to the race in the first instance, with Vega One having suffered several setbacks since his fourth-placed finish in the TAB Stradbroke Handicap (G1) a year ago, with his place in Saturday's race under a cloud even this week. 

"I'm just so proud of these horses," said Gollan. "This horse had a major injury last year after the Stradbroke, and had a long time (out). They rehabbed him really well down there in Victoria. He's come back, and it's been a long-range mission to get here and then into the Stradbroke with him. 

"This doesn't get any better, I'm telling you, this is great. 

"I didn't know where to look. I saw Jonker trying to hold on and I'd seen him (Vega One) behind a wall of horses and all of a sudden off he went. It's unreal. One-two in a group 1 at home…it's fantastic.

"We've had a torrid time with him this prep with a few little niggles. I was really happy with his work on Tuesday morning but we were on a knife-edge as to whether we were going to even be here this week. 

"It's so rewarding today. Jamie Kah doesn't ride very often up here, but Jeez, I wish she'd come back here a little more often."

Lope de Vega covered four books of mares at Patinack Farm in Victoria between 2011-14, with Vega One from the final crop of 102 live foals. 

The dual group 1-winning stallion has sired Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (G1) winner Gytrash, as well as Vega Magic and five-time group 1 winner Santa Ana Lane at the elite-level in Australia.

While Lope de Vega's leading son Belardo  has shuttled to Haunui Farm in New Zealand since 2017, his 2-year-old group 1-winning son and recent Two Thousand Guineas third place-getter, the Yulong-owned Lucky Vega , will commence stud duties at the Victorian farm from this season, and the stallion himself remains available for coverings to Southern Hemisphere time in Ireland. 

Vega One, now the winner of six races from 25 starts and almost AU$1.5 million in prize money, is the second stakes winner out of One Funny Honey (Distorted Humor  ), who was bought by Emirates Park when in foal to Lope de Vega for AU$40,000 ($43,830) from the Patinack Farm Dispersal Sale in 2014. 

Her first named foal, One More Honey, won the 2017 Vale Edgar Britt Oam Sweet Embrace Stakes (G2), while her 2018-born foal by Snitzel  fetched AU$800,000 ($548,672) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. 

She has a weanling colt by Fastnet Rock  and is currently in foal to Capitalist.