22 Apr 2023Almanzor’s latest black type winner Cheval D’Or has earned a crack at an elite level target during the Queensland winter carnival.
The filly gained a deserved victory in the G3 Championship Stakes at Pukekohe where she overcame a testing Heavy 10 track to book her passage to Brisbane.
“The biggest question mark was the track, but she’s a half-sister to (three-time Group 1 winner) Bostonian and he handled wet ground,” trainer Tony Pike said.
“She has been in great form all preparation and she was great again. She’s a really good staying filly and it’s nice to know she can go on such a rain-affected track and good ground as well.
“It’s six weeks to the G1 Queensland Oaks and we’ll just assess her conditions and see if she runs in the G2 The Roses before that.”
Rider Michael McNab bided his time toward the back of the field before improving 700 metres from home and they finished determinedly widest on the track to earn major honours.
“I think she is one of our better three-year-olds, she’s going the right way,” he said.
While Cheval D’Or had been a maiden before her Pukekohe outing, she had showed her quality with a previous third in the G3 Manawatu Classic and has yet to miss a top four place in six appearances.
Bred by Archer Equine Investments, she was purchased by The Oaks Stud for $420,000 out of Waikato Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.