A low time ago, To Bravery Born (NZ) It was unlikely that (Snitzel) would get a chance to make the $1 million TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) field, but the stallion took his chance with a commanding win in the Trackside.co at Ellerslie on Sunday .nz (1200 m).
To Bravery Born was a confident winner of the first juvenile race in August and was later due to run in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m) on November 23 before injury took him out of the race.
His trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson had all but concluded that the son of Snitzel would not make it to the Karaka Millions this year, but a quick recovery left To Bravery Born fit and ready to add to his $14,375 haul, the intention of much of the field on Sunday.
Runners chasing a Millions spot included race favorite Tale Of The Gypsy, $2.20 ahead of Te Akau runner ($4.80) and the substantial mover in the market, the southern visitor , Miss Ziggy ($6.50), closed.
Tale Of The Gypsy jumped from the outside fence and was able to keep Fat Cat in the lead by four goals early on before the pair pushed forward and took the lead. Meanwhile, jockey Craig Grylls gave To Bravery Born a foothold at the back of the field and followed Miss Ziggy into the straight before turning into the middle of the track.
Tale Of The Gypsy took the lead early on but To Bravery Born moved quickly, storming over the top in the 150m and comfortably keeping his rivals at bay by 1-1/4 lengths. The minor placings were hotly contested, with Daylight Robbery securing the vital second place by a margin over the winner's stablemate Dare To Proisir, and then fourth and fifth placed Tale Of The Gypsy and Miss Ziggy were separated by just a head.
Grylls had plenty of praise for the unbeaten stallion, who is now assured of a Jan. 25 start with over $40,000 earned in two raceday appearances.
“It was great, we wanted to come back from the draw and in the end we were right back,” he said. “They gave everything in the first round of 16, then they stabilized it and made it a real sprint home.
“He angled at the top of the straight and probably arrived a little earlier, if at all. He also got there a lot quicker than I thought. It was a good win.
“He’s the guy for it (Karaka Millions), he’s a real runner for two-year-olds. He won the first two-year-old race of the season and now he has backed that up with another.”
Bergerson was thrilled after the race, especially when he explained To Bravery Born's unique path back to the races.
“Today he had a bit of a strange preparation ahead of him. He was ready for Pukekohe but he pulled a muscle so we thought his Karaka Million was over,” he said. “But he has recovered remarkably well.”
“When we arrived without a trial, we weren’t sure how he would fare. Mark and I were talking this morning and thought he might just be a racehorse as he was pretty relaxed at home.
“He has relaxed beautifully, it will be fascinating to hear what Gryllsy thinks, up to 1200, even without a test. It was a really good performance. He will take a lot of progress from this, he sprinted really well and probably only reached the finish in the final phase.
“He’s a really great horse for the future.”
To Bravery Born has joined Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) winner Too Sweet at the top of the TAB Futures market for the $4 Karaka Millions 2YO, while his Te Akau counterpart La Dorada ($5) is back in third place.
To Bravery Born, a $200,000 purchase from David Ellis at the 2024 Karaka Yearling Sales, was bred by Nearco Stud and offered through Curraghmore's Book 1 draft.
