Keep The Peace (NZ) wins Gr.1 Mudgway Partsworld Stakes
30th Aug 2010
Keep The Peace (NZ) (inside) holding out Wall Street (NZ)
The talented Keeper mare Keep The Peace (NZ) added the Gr.1 Mudgway Partsworld Stakes (1400m) to her black-type resume on Saturday.
Last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks winner claimed the first Group one race of the New Zealand season on a track rated a slow eight, and with the outing took home the lion’s share of its $200,000 stake.
An intelligent ride by apprentice jockey James McDonald saw the filly placed second on the rail throughout.
In what would prove to be a race defining move, McDonald switched her to the better ground outside of the leader Fritzy Boy (NZ) (Brilliance) at the top of the straight, ultimately enabling her to hit the wire a nose in advance of the fast finishing Wall Street (NZ) (Montjeu).
She has come through the race perfectly and is enjoying some well earned tonic in the form of some good old fashioned New Zealand grass.
“I trained in Sydney for a while and I found over there you needed to give the horses tonic to get them through their races, because there was no grass and they were boxed. The beauty of training in New Zealand is that we have the natural resources right here,” said trainer Shaune Ritchie.
“She came straight home from Hawke’s Bay to her paddock and she is out there again today with a belly full of grass.”
Keep The Peace (NZ) will now be aimed towards the second leg of the Spring Carnival - the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) on September 18, where she will again meet Wall Street (NZ) and Fritzy Boy (NZ).
“She proved with that run that she is very fit. Because of this, she will only have a few cruisey gallops between now and then in preparation,” explained Ritchie.
“Whilst we did think about going to Australian after the Mudgway, we have decided the Windsor is a better fit for her,” said Ritchie
“We know she handles a mile, the track will be better by then, and she likes Hawke’s Bay. If she went to Australia now, she would have been straight into 2000m and up against their very best.”
Safely through her Windsor Park Plate assignment, the impressive bay will head to Australia to target the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 2.
She also holds nominations for the Gr.1 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m), the Gr.1 Tatts Cox Plate (2040m), and the Gr.1 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Keep The Peace (NZ) has now won 5 from 10 starts and has banked NZ$371, 340 in earnings for owners Paul Bellingham, Mick & Luke Dittman
Bred by D W & Mrs J A Moss, Keep the Peace (NZ) is by Cambridge Stud’s five time Gr.1 producing Danehill sire Keeper and is out of Peace of Mind (NZ), who is a Wild Rampage half–sister to the three time HK-1 winner Makarpura Star.
Keeper is represented by a 65% winners-to-runners ratio and by the 5 Gr.1 ambassadors: Keep The Peace (NZ), My Keepsake (NZ), Insouciant (NZ), Keepa Cruisin (NZ) and Linky Dink (NZ).
A six time winner herself, Peace of Mind (NZ) has had the five winners from five to race.