WINNER: Balance Powers Home

Quickening home with plenty of zest, Balance Of Power (6 g Almanzor – Respin, by Power) easily accounted for his opponents in the $18,500 Performance Equine Rating 75 2200 metres on 23 September at Timaru.

Fit as a buck rat and having performed consistently in six starts since June, Balance Of Power signalled a readiness to break through when racing very well for second in the Rating 75 2000 metres on 12 September at Riccarton, and with four wins to 2000 metres, including three on soft ground, he brought the right form to rate top three in a solid field.

Ridden, as he was last time, by Te Akau apprentice Hayley Hassman (20), Balance Of Power slotted into a lovely spot on the rail from barrier five, awaited the cutaway rail at the 400m, and streaked clear to win by three and three-quarter lengths.

The performance indicated that Balance Of Power is back to his best and a nice, patient, ride by Hassman, who two days earlier won the Taiki Yanagida Trophy for Most Dedicated to Success at the Northern Apprentice Awards.

On footing that remained Soft6 throughout the day, Balance Of Power ran 2200 metres in 2:18.3, last 600m in 36.1 (approx.), and paid $3.00 & $1.60 on the TAB tote.

“He’s a horse that has always promised plenty, while also being a slow maturing type of horse, but that was a really good staying performance to win like he did,” said Mark Walker, training partner with Sam Bergerson.

“It’s great for the owners, who have shown a lot of patience, and I think the manner in which he won suggests he’ll take lots of confidence from winning. 

“There are plenty of races that will suit him in the lead-up and during the New Zealand Cup Carnival in November at Riccarton, and it’s great to see him peaking at the right time.

“He was very strong through the line over 2200 metres, which opens up different options, and another really good ride by Hayley (Hassman), who is really starting to show her maturity as a rider.”

It was a welcome return to winning form by Balance Of Power, who won three times in a four-start stretch as a four-year-old, and now looks ready to continue after settling into the routine in the Te Akau South Island stable at Riccarton.

Owned by J O Anderson, DJ Bloodstock Partnership, M K Durling, GN & CM Bloodstock Ltd, J F & Mrs P L Hepburn, C W Kwok, R Lau, T N Simpson, Te Akau Stud & Westonlea Bloodstock, he was bought by Sir David Ellis for $300,000, at the 2022 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Cambridge Stud. 

“He got up in grade quite quickly as a four-year-old and just met his mark in Rating 75 for a while, but it looks like he’s capable of being competitive in Open Handicaps now,” Ellis said.

“He’s always been a lovely type of horse and a good horse to own, winning five times, and he’s enjoyed being in our stables on course at Riccarton.

“Hunter (Durrant) and the team are doing a great job with the horses we’ve got stabled there and it’s an exciting time leading into Cup Week.”

Balance Of Power is by one of the best credentialed stallions shuttled to New Zealand in the last decade. Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) was European Champion Three-Year-Old and claimed the same titles in Ireland and France. He now stands permanently at Cambridge Stud.

From his first crop of yearlings, in 2021 at Karaka, Ellis purchased Dynastic, who rewarded everyone at his second start when becoming the sixth of eight Karaka Million 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m) winners for the stable.

The dam of Balance Of Power, Respin, by talented sire Power (Oasis Dream), displayed very good racing attributes in a short career, which included winning the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m). She is a half-sister to Dame Margo Fonteyn (High Chaparral), trained by Te Akau and a mare with good ability that won two of her six starts. 

Third dam, Dancing Forever, impressed winning four times up to 2000 metres and showed plenty of athleticism and a great turn of foot. Proving herself as a broodmare, she left six individual winners of 13 races. 

Balance Of Power was strapped by Pieter Van Rooyen.

Note: previous winning photo - this one to come ....