Another Group One for Mufhasa

5th Dec 2011

Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire) served up yet another vintage performance on Trentham’s champagne turf when he added the Captain Cook Stakes to his impressive collection of Group One titles.

Mufhasa (NZ)

Seven might be an age when the glory days tend to have faded by a length or two but not so the Stephen McKee-trained powerhouse who continues to keep a distance between himself and the best of the rest.

He strode away with Saturday’s feature event to go with his two Telegraph Handicaps on the capital course, a brace of Waikato Draught Sprints, the Otaki-Maori WFA, the Mudgway Partsworld Stakes and this year’s Toorak Handicap at Caulfield under topweight of 58kg.

“I said to David (Archer) after the Toorak that we’d try and get to 10 (Group Ones) and that’s the mission,” McKee said. “For a seven-year-old he’s just racing great.”

His latest success took his career earnings to more than NZ$2.7 million and an outstanding return for the Archer family and Di Wright on his Karaka yearling purchase price of NZ$50,000.

Mufhasa (NZ) was able to take up his favoured position off the rail and tracking the leader and he was coasting on the turn. Rider Sam Spratt held him up into the straight before asking him to lengthen stride and he drove clear to down Vonusti (NZ) (Ustinov) and Dating (NZ) (O’Reilly).

“We didn’t want him locked up in the trail and he’s better on the leader’s flank,” McKee said. “He’ll have a couple of weeks to freshen up and then definitely run in the Waikato Draught and we’ll certainly be looking at the Telegraph again.”

The victory was also sweet for Spratt who had copped some flak for her ride when Mufhasa (NZ) was beaten at his previous appearance in the Group Three Tauranga Stakes.

“He’s an awesome horse and showed his true colours,” she said. “Turning for home and I was swinging on him and didn’t want to go too soon. He took a stride or two to sprint with the weight but he did it really well.”

A former New Zealand Horse of the Year and current holder of the champion sprinter title, Mufhasa (NZ) was purchased out of breeder Rich Hill Stud’s Select Sale draft in 2006 and is out of Sheila Cheval (NZ) (Mi Preferido). She has left four other winners and is a half-sister to the Listed Matamata Cup winner and Group One Avondale Cup runner-up Commander Cheval (NZ) (All Glory).

It is also the family of Pace Invader (NZ) (Westminster) who won the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas and the Group One Thorndon Mile at Trentham in 2000.

Runner-up Vonusti (NZ) came on well in the closing stages while Dating (NZ) enjoyed a cosy run on the fence and fought on valiantly. 

Sheila Cheval (NZ) also produced Belle Joie (NZ) (Mellifont) who won six races.  Belle Joie’s first foal is on offer at New Zealand Bloodstock’s upcoming Premier Yearling the colt by Pentire is Lot 73 from the draft of Rich Hill Stud.

Mufhasa is also featured in the pedigrees of Lot 1065  and Lot 1423.

Pentire will be well represented at New Zealand Bloodstocks upcoming National Yearling Sales Series with 31 Premier lots and 22 Select lots.