16 May 2009
The
Keeper three-year-old filly,
Sahara, added to a very triumphant race-day for Otaki trainer Rachel Frost on Saturday with her convincing win over 1600 metres at the Rangitikei Racing Club's meeting.
Frost also saddled up the winner of the Dunstan Feeds Waikato Hurdles, Spirit Of Alaton, at the Te Rapa meeting on the same day.
Sahara was having the seventh start of her racing career and Saturday's win represented her first victory. However, she had twice been placed earlier in her career and this time she made no mistake as she got home by one and three quarter lenghts.
"She has always shown plenty of ability and has taken a little time to mature," Frost said of Sahara. "I expect she will continue to develop in the next 12 months into a good type," she said.
Sahara is a half-sister to Arica who won the Listed Levin Stakes at Otaki and is closely related to the fine galloper, Bel Air, who won 11 races including the Group 2 Hawke's Bay Gold Cup
It is also the same family as the Group 1 Australian Oaks winner Royal Regatta and the three-time Listed race winner, Mushtak.
Keeper, who stands at Cambridge Stud, has sired 35 individual winners in New Zealand during the 2008/09 season. His leading stakes-earner has been the three-year-old filly, Can't Keeper Down, who has amassed prize-money of $115,475.
Keeper has sired 108 individual winners in his stud career to date and the total number of wins recorded by his successful progeny has reached 227. He has been represented by 18 individual stakes performers.
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