Listen (NZ) Defends Selangor Gold Cup title

Iffraaj gelding Listen (NZ), a $50,000 weanling purchase at the 2010 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale, recorded the eighth win of his career when he went back-to-back in the Listed Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) on Sunday.

Listen won the 220,000 Rgt. feature by half a length last year, and on Sunday he emphatically defended his title for owner BC Low and trainer Anna Scott. Ridden by Jai Shankar, Listen produced a powerful finish in the home straight to race past the favourite Volcanic General (Magnus) and win by three-quarters of a length.

Listen was bred by Archer Corporation Ltd and is out of the Centaine mare Daydream (NZ). The dam is a three-quarter sister to the stakes-winning Fleur De Chine (NZ) (Centaine), dam of stakes winners Tully Thunder (Thunder Gulch) and Sufficient (NZ) (Zabeel).

Put through the 2010 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale by Hallmark Stud, Listen was bought by Mulcaster Bloodstock for $50,000. He returned for the 2011 Ready to Run Sale, where he failed to meet his $60,000 reserve.

Listen has now had 34 starts for eight wins, 10 placings and prize-money earnings of 362,033 Rgt. and S$149,193.