WINNER: Centurial Goes Back to Back

Two from two this time in and continuing terrific form for Te Akau trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson, Centurial (4 g Savabeel – Purcentage, by Onemorenomore) won the $55,000 Trackside.co.nz Rating 65 1100 metres on Saturday at Ellerslie. 

After quickening powerfully when patiently ridden by Michael McNab to win first-up in the Maiden 970 metres on 30 September at Cambridge (poly-track), Centurial met a stronger field up in grade, but commenced in such good style that he rated a top three chance.

With McNab aboard again, Centurial was allowed to bide his time off the pace, six lengths 600m, tracked hotly supported favourite Convinced (Super Seth) into contention and once off her back inside the 200m he unwound a strong finish to prevail.  

The was an air of confidence and similarity to the one exhibited by the pair when winning at Cambridge, and the manner of victory up in grade suggests Centurial, having now won or placed in four of seven starts, has a bright future.

“He began well and we found quite a good spot,” McNab said. “He’d progressed well from the win at Cambridge, and I think the horse (O’Valerie) he beat that day is nice enough. But he’s taken another step up today.

“He just kept building into the race and I was confident he was going to get there.”

On Soft5 footing, Centurial ran 1100 metres in 1:03.9, last 600m in 33.3, and paid $6.30 & $1.60 on the NZ TAB tote. 

On course, Bergerson said: “There was a couple of sharp ones in the race, but we were happy with the horse and how he’d come on from the first-up win.

“It was another really good ride by Michael (McNab) and I think that’s the way to ride him, nice and patient – get back and get home. 

“It’s been really smooth for him in the preparation this time around and I think that’s showing in his racing.

“I can’t thank the team at home enough, especially the farriers Kim Hughes and Gareth Allis, who have done a fantastic job with him. 

“He’s always been a talented horse and hopefully he can continue to progress through the grades.”

Walker added: “It was a really good win, today, to back it up from his win on the synthetic track (Cambridge) to win on the turf at Ellerslie. 

“Michael (McNab) had him beautifully relaxed, presented at the right time, and it was a really good effort to reel in the favourite.

“It’s never easy to win your Maiden and again in Rating 65 grade at the next start, and he’s a horse that is starting to fulfil his early promise. 

“He needed gelding and since then he’s got over a few aches and pains to put together a nice record.”

When Altari (Savabeel) won during the week at Tauranga, he became the 14th winner in as many days for the stable and Centurial secured the 15th win so far in October.

Owned by the Te Akau Purrfection Racing Partnership (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM), Centurial was purchased by Sir David Ellis for $300,000 at the 2024 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of The Chase Farm.

“He carries the CHC brand and he’s another nice horse bred by the China Horse Club that I’ve bought,” Sir David said.

“He’s got a great Waikato Stud pedigree, going back to their great stallion Centaine as sire of his third dam, and when we bought him, he had all the good attributes of the Savabeel’s we’d bought in the past.”

Sir David has established the most successful record buying progeny by the 10-time Champion Sire Savabeel, who passed in June this year, aged 24. Savabeel was recently acknowledged with the NZTR Award for Outstanding Global Achievement.

Among his Savabeel purchases have been eight Group One winners, with 29 stakes' wins, including a dual New Zealand Horse of the Year, the first NZB Kiwi winner, and three colts who are now standing at stud themselves.

“We started the weekend with a winner last night in Melbourne, and I was really impressed with the way Centurial has won again,” Ellis said. “He’s won on the poly-track and now the grass, so he’s a versatile horse.

“It was beautiful ride from Nabba (Michael McNab), gee, he’s riding in such good form, getting his mounts settled and his timing is very good.

“The whole team is doing a great job and already, early in the season, the horses have now topped one-million in prize money won for our owners - the first New Zealand stable again to achieve that mark this season.”

Centurial is the fourth individual winner out of stakes' placed winner Purcentage (Onemorenomore), and a half-brother to outstanding $2.2 million earner Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution), a triple Group Two and Group Three winner to 1600 metres who was dual Group One placed, and four-time winner stakes' placed Equation (Press Statement).  

His grand-dam Spurcent, by Golden Slipper winner Flying Spur (Danehill), was fast enough to win the Listed Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) as a two-year-old while also finishing third in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) and has left eight individual winners of 33 races. 

Centurial was strapped by Mahesh Kumar.

Photo credit - Kenton Wright - www.raceimages.co.nz