Marsh savours another big day out at Ellerslie

Stephen Marsh doesn’t get hung up about running a distant second in the past five New Zealand trainers’ premierships.
And why should he when he’s racking up big results such as his Group One double at Ellerslie last weekend?
Having won the Karaka Millions 2YO with Velocious, Marsh arrived at northern headquarters on Saturday – after a nerve-wracking trip from Cambridge on a snarled up roading network – as confident as he could be that the Go Racing filly could live up to her favourite’s tag in the Gr. 1 Sistema Stakes.
Velocious delivered at $1.60 in that professional, no fuss manner for which she’s quickly become known, comfortably holding out fellow Cambridge filly Archaic Smile and second favourite Captured By Love.
Her trainer harboured no such optimism with his second big-race candidate, $20 Bonecrusher New Zealand shot El Vencedor. Given his decent formline throughout summer, it would be discourteous to suggest the five-year-old’s first start past 1600m was a throw at the stumps, but nobody truly believed he could beat the hot favourite Legarto.
“In some ways I still can’t believe it,” Marsh told RaceForm earlier this week. “I have to keep watching the replay to realise what he did.
“I’ve always liked the horse, he’s been a real trier and has put together a very good record, but when you see a rival tick into $1.20, you’re more or less resigned to running second at best.
“But he ran the race of his life, Joe (Doyle jockey) got his sectionals perfect – just terrific, bloody good!”
Marsh chuckles when he talks about his thoughts immediately before each leg of his big double. “Back when we went into the Karaka Millions race I was pretty confident that Velocious would deliver, and that’s how it turned out. Saturday was different though, maybe because a win would cement her champion two-year-old title, but the expectation levels were high and I was so nervous.
“I didn’t need to be as it turned out. Sam (Spratt) gave her a very good ride and the filly proved what she could do. With El Vencedor there were no nerves, he was having his last start for the season and we would be happy with whatever he came up with.”
Comparisons are inevitable, in the case of Velocious how she rates in her trainer’s eyes with his previous star juvenile Rud Awakening, who carried the Go Racing colours in the same Karaka Million-Diamond (Sistema) Stakes double in 2013.
“They’re actually two quite different fillies, both top class but different,” Marsh said. “Ruud Awakening was so professional from day one, she did everything like clockwork. This filly though, she certainly wasn’t a natural, she took time to figure things out, but once she did she was away.
“I’d also say that Velocious has much more scope, she’s a big strong filly and takes it all in her stride.”
Ruud Awakening had one further start at two, finishing second-last in the Golden Slipper Stakes, however Velocious will remain close to home with one remaining assignment in the Gr. 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes at Trentham on April 6.
“That’s an easy decision to make,” says her trainer. “The Sires’ Produce is a qualifier for the NZB Kiwi, so it makes sense to run there and then pull stumps before we bring her back and target that race.
“It’s great what Entain have done for New Zealand racing and the way they’ve worked in with NZTR and other organisations like NZ Bloodstock. It gives us so many reasons to stay and race here.”
Velocious is a graduate of last year’s National Yearling Sale, where Go Racing signed for the Inglewood Stud-bred of Written Tycoon at $190,000.
“We’ve got an excellent working relationship with Go Racing. Before the sales we go round the farms together. This filly was a standout, she was on all our lists.”
At the end of the 2021-22 season Marsh had notched his first century of wins with a tally of 104, 13 wins behind Te Akau Racing’s Jamie Richards. That was the closest he’s been to a premiership title, but he’s comfortable with other tallies such as his neat century in 2022-23 and the 65 he has won to date this season.
“The premiership at this stage is not an achievable goal,” he concedes. “A few years ago our stable numbers were getting some way above 100, but I’m comfortable sticking to around that 100.
“We’re actually retiring horses a bit quicker once they reach their mark as they get a bit of age on. That makes room for fresh stock and in that respect it’s great to have the backing of Go Racing as well as all our other clientele.”
Marsh Racing’s recent stream of form has put a smile on faces at a difficult time coming to terms with the death of family matriarch Kay Marsh in mid-February.
“It certainly helps in what has been a very tough time – it builds everyone’s spirits and gives you something to be proud of.”
On top of Velocious and Orchestral’s Karaka Millions heroics in late January and the latter’s superb New Zealand Derby victory, last Saturday was yet another bountiful day out at Ellerslie for Cambridge trainers.
Their six-win haul also included the Gr. 2 Barfoot & Thomson Auckland Cup with Mahrajaan, whose trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray had opened the day by winning the Westbury Stud Royal Descent Stakes with Pearl Of Alsace.
Mahrajaan was aided by a ground-saving ride from Sam Weatherley, who had partnered the American-bred stayer in similar style on the way to their Gr. 3 New Zealand Cup win back in November.
The six-year-old had been unplaced twice in his Auckland Cup build-up, but a final lead-up on the beach at Ruakaka worked its magic as Mahrajaan outstayed fellow Cambridge geldings Good Oil and Mark Twain.
In late 2022 Ritchie had taken a leap of faith by attending the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale at Newmarket, where he selected the son of Kitten’s Joy and the Singspiel mare, Champion US Turf Female Lahudood, at 75,000 guineas.
Mahrajaan had at that stage raced 10 times for three wins up to 12 furlongs as well as placings in strong handicap class. He had his first start for his new trainers in April last year and while he has won just twice from 10 New Zealand starts, there’s no denying those two wins have been completely fit for purpose for an ownership group that includes that great admirer of true stayers, Gerard Peterson.
It’s now likely that Mahrajaan will cross the Tasman for the Sydney Cup in the second week of April, and while he has yet to prove whether he’s up to Melbourne Cup standard, it will be another step in the merit of his purchase.