Pohutukawa overcame a torrid run to register an impressive victory in Friday’s G3 Kembla Grange Classic and maintain the flow of Australian winners for her sire Medaglia d’Oro.
Having gone into the race as the class runner of the field, Pohutukawa was given a confident ride by James McDonald who was content to sit wide on the filly for the entire 1,600m.
After giving away a start to most of the field at the 1,000m, Pohutukawa was taken seven-wide on the home turn, sprinted to the front with 300m to run and was eased down on the line to win by 1-1/4 lengths.
The win continued an impressive run of success for Medaglia d'Oro who has had 15 winners this month, seven of them in Australia and New Zealand where his son Crown Prosecutor won the G1 New Zealand Derby on Saturday, 2 March, a day on which he had four southern hemisphere Stakes winners.
His two-year-old filly Tenley also won the G2 Reisling Stakes at Randwick a week later.
Pohutukawa is a daughter of the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Lumina, who is from the good racehorse and excellent producer Chiara, the dam of 13 foals to race, 11 of which have been winners.
Among them is the G3 winner Leone Chiara, the dam of G1 winner and successful sire Star Witness.
Medaglia d’Oro is standing the 2019 breeding season at Jonabell Fam, Kentucky, at a fee of US$200,000, stands and nurses.
