Half-Brother to Norzita (NZ) at Karaka 2013

The kiwi bred filly Norzita (NZ) gave her Hall of Fame Trainer Bart Cummings his 265th Group 1 victory on Saturday with a commanding performance in the A$400,000 Group 1 Coolmore Flight Stakes (1600m) in Sydney.

In a brilliant day for New Zealand breeders, Norzita (ex Visique) was one of two kiwi bred Group 1 winners in Sydney with the Murray Baker-trained It’s A Dundeel (High Chaparral) getting the better of Proisir in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes, taking his unbeaten record to four. 

Norzita (NZ) blitzes her rivals in the Group 1 Flight Stakes

The line-up at NZB’s National Yearling Sales Series in January will include a half-brother to Norzita by first season sire, Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer), the Windsor Park Stud shuttler from the family of Sakhee, who was a dual Group 1 winner at two and then trained on at three to win the Gr.1 Irish 2000 Guineas and the Gr.1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Norzita became the second Australian Group 1 winner this season for her hotshot kiwi sire Thorn Park, with fellow Karaka graduate Ocean Park (NZ) winning the Group 1 Underwood Stakes two weeks ago.

Running a close second in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes at her last start, Norzita was a cut above her rivals in the Randwick straight on Saturday taking her second win from six starts.

Settling in sixth for the running, jockey Hugh Bowman elected to make an early move coming three wide with Norzita at the 600 metre mark and in the straight the filly found another gear, taking the lead 200 metres from home and racing to a two-and-a-half length victory.  

“She showed that she was capable of winning a race like this in the Tea Rose at her last start and she won with authority,” said Duncan Ramage who purchased the filly from New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2011 Karaka Premier Sale.

“We will now take her to the Group 1 VRC Thousand Guineas - she is going too well not to have a crack at it. She is nominated for the VRC Oaks but she has been up since July so at this stage it is unlikely she will contest the race.”

Bred by Marc & Sarah Devcich, Norzita was purchased by Duncan Ramage’s DGR Thoroughbred Services from Windsor Park Stud at the 2011 Karaka Premier Sale for $200,000. She is raced by Dato Tan Chin Nam and Westcode Pty Ltd. 

“Her breeders Marc & Sarah Devcich told me to have a look at her and she was a very attractive yearling,” commented Ramage. “We had to go to $200,000 to secure her which equalled the highest price ever paid for a Thorn Park filly and she has justified the purchase with Saturday’s win.”

Marc & Sarah Devcich will offer the yearling half-brother at Karaka 2013 through their Henley Park draft.

“He is an early December foal but he is a good sized colt and has plenty of natural muscle so we are very pleased with him,” said Sarah Devcich.

“We purchased the mare as a yearling, raced her and are now breeding from her so to have her daughter Norzita win a Group 1 race is a wonderful result; she has been a great mare for us.”

Norzitais the 17th stakes winner and fifth Group 1 winner for her sire Thorn Park (Spinning World) who stands at Windsor Park Stud. New Zealand’s 2011 Champion Sire, Thorn Park is also the sire of the five-time New Zealand and Australian Group 1 winner Jimmy Choux and four-time Group 1 winner Veyron.