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Artic Wolf earned himself a crack at higher juvenile honours when he produced a determined display on Saturday to continue trainer Leo Molloy’s winning record in Taranaki’s feature two-year-old event.
The son of Keeper wasn’t to be denied in the Gr.3 Phoenix Park Classic, a race the stable was successful in last year with Girl Of My Dreams, and will now head toward the Gr.1 Haunui Farm Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie on March 8.
“He’s good enough to run in the Diamond and he’s a very sound horse, a good-actioned little fellow,” Molloy said.
Artic Wolf had placed in two of his previous starts and had finished runner-up at Pukekohe, where he was denied a clear run in the straight, at his most recent appearance.
A subsequent trial win at Avondale confirmed his readiness for Saturday’s test and he knuckled down strongly in the straight to get the better of the filly Duey with pacemaker Magic Moment holding third.
“He travelled really well the whole race and he went to Duey easily,” successful rider Mark Hills said.
The local hope Macklemore took fourth money ahead of the winner’s stablemate Aspery, who is tipped to make his mark in the best of company. “He’s got a very big future – he’s a special horse,” Molloy said.
Meanwhile, Moozoon’s Gr.1 Wellfield New Zealand Oaks odds were trimmed to $10 after her dominant victory in the Coca Cola Prelude.
She moved into contention wide out on the turn and powered clear in the closing 200 metres to score by a length and a-half. It completed a hat-trick of wins for the Stephen McKee-trained filly, who had triumphed in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham last month.