Irish-Bred Pure Champion Wins in New Zealand
Description:
Irish-bred outsider Pure Champion repelled a strong challenge from favorite I Do and won the Windsor Park Plate (NZ-I) Sept. 20 at Hastings Racecourse in New Zealand.
A former Irish group III winner under the name of Steinbeck and stakes winner in Hong Kong, Pure Champion had concluded his Hong Kong career in February before he was acquired by trainer Lance O'Sullivan, also a jockey, and his family. The victory provided an emotional lift for the family, who earlier this year lost O'Sullivan's sister Lisa Chittick to cancer. Runner-up I Do is co-owned by his brother-in-law Mark Chittick.
In his New Zealand debut Aug. 30 at Hastings, Pure Champion was third behind I Do and Pussy O'Reilly in the Makfi Challenge (NZ-I). He stalked the early pace in the Windsor Park Plate and rallied smartly in the stretch for Craig Grylls to deny I Do by a narrow margin and earn a breakthrough group I victory. Soriano was third, about a length back.
The final time for 1,600 meters (about one mile) was 1:34.28. Pure Champion paid $17.30 to win.
Campaigned in Ireland by Coolmore and partners and trainer Aidan O'Brien, Pure Champion made five starts there and won three times, including the 2010 Solonaway Stakes (Ire-III) at the Curragh and a stakes at Kildare. He also was sixth in that season's Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course in his only United States start. Sold to race in Hong Kong, he compiled a 3-6-2 record from 35 starts, including a pair of Hong Kong group III races, before eventually ending up in New Zealand.
"A jockey up in Hong Kong said to my brother, Paul (who trains in Hong Kong), that he had heard he had a brother training in New Zealand and suggested Pure Champion might have a future down here and that's pretty much how we came by him," O'Sullivan, who trains the winner with Andrew Scott, told NZ Racing.
"He's a very happy animal and hopefully he'll get a job at stud somewhere in time."
An 8-year-old from the second crop of Footstepsinthesand, Pure Champion is being pointed for the Livamol Spring Classic (NZ-I) Oct. 4 at Hastings. Bred by Dr. D. Harron from the Danehill mare Castara Beach, his extended family includes a pair of Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) winners Bireme (1990) and Talent (2013) as well as 2002 Grand National Steeplechase winner Bindaree.