Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Capping good form, Wolf God (3 g Tivaci – Akaba, by Holy Roman Emperor) won the $25,000 Myracehorse Maiden 2YO & Up 1600 metres on 1 April at Pukekohe.
Placed in two of four starts and back in class following a solid effort for fourth in the 3YO 1600 metres on 28 February at Matamata, Wolf God was rightfully supported in betting as second favourite and delivered for jockey George Rooke, who had a good association with the horse at trials and race day.
Content to bide his time in ninth, six lengths 600m, Wolf God was presented to the outside at the 300m and sustained a strong finish to gain the upper hand over two horses on his inner.
It was a good effort by the horse and continued a rich vein of form for Rooke, fresh from winning a Group One race last Saturday at Trentham.
“I got on him a couple of months back and he’d looked progressive in his trials,” Rooke said.
“He’s very lazy, very laidback, but has plenty of ability and today he put his best foot forward.
“I had plenty of horse, we’d gone a nice even gallop and if you get to the outside first (Heavy8) you can be the strongest finishing.
“He can measure up to stakes company, definitely, over a mile and further.”
On Heavy8 footing, Wolf God ran 1600 metres in 1:38.5, last 600m in 36.5 (approx.), and paid $5.20 & $1.60 on the NZ TAB tote.
Owned by M Bogoievski, W Campbell, G Devonport, Gurners Bloodstock, Kariba Racing Pty Ltd, P Moroney, W Parkinson, and Ballymore Racing NZ Ltd, Wolf God has a strong connection with Ballymore Stables.
Dam Akaba was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock having twice finished third of over 2300m & 2400m in France, and had a handful of starts for trainers Mike Moroney & Pam Gerard, before retiring and being bred by Gurners Bloodstock Partnership & P A Moroney.
Moroney also bought sire Tivaci (High Chaparral) as a yearling in Australia, and the Group One and dual Group Three winner, trained by his brother Mike Moroney, then stood at Waikato Stud in New Zealand.
Wolf God, the third live foal and first winner out of Akaba, was prepared for sale by Highline Thoroughbreds, Cambridge, and purchased by Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney Bloodstock, and Catheryne Bruggerman, for $60,000 at the Karaka 2024 Book 2 Sale.
When Wolf God trialled as a two-year-old, trainer Pam Gerard said: “He’s a nice type and we like him, but more likely to race at three.
While prior to debuting with a strong finish for third, as a three-year-old, at Te Aroha, Gerard said: “He has gone ahead in leaps and bounds and been working accordingly. He has grown to be athletic and taking shape as a racehorse.
“It was a well-deserved win, he’d been continuing to learn his craft and become more experienced after four starts, and breaking through now at his fifth start is good to see,” she said.
“We’ve had a fair bit to do with the family at Ballymore, Paul (Moroney) has been instrumental in his breeding and buying, and he’s developing into a nice strong horse with plenty of potential.
“I had some concerns about him handling the ground, but he’d raced well for second and third when going right-handed at Te Aroha, and I think where George (Rooke) went, out wide, in the straight is the best going today.
“He should take a lot of confidence from the win and we can look forward to placing him in a suitable race up in grade.”