4 Oct 2023Key Largo showed plenty of heart to open his winning account at Tauranga.
He was making his fourth appearance for trainers Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard when the patiently handled four-year-old accounted for his rivals over 1600 metres.
We bred and sold the son of Ocean Park, who began well to make the running and kicked defiantly after being hotly challenged in the straight to forge clear and win by nearly three lengths.
“He was very competitive and I think the key was getting him across to somewhere he was comfortable,” successful rider Kozzi Asano said.
“I wasn’t too sure when he jumped out like he did, but no one else wanted to lead and we got an easy sectional from the corner at the 800-metre mark.
“That was probably the winning of the race and he was very strong at the end. He ran out a little bit in the straight, but he’s not 100 percent focused yet and he had nothing to chase.
“It should help his confidence and I think he’ll handle getting through the grades.”
Congratulations to part-owner Jim Bruford who purchased Key Largo from our 2021 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $50,000.
He is a son of the High Chaparral mare Enjay and she now has a 100 percent record at stud with all three of her foals successful and includes Familia.
We raced the daughter of Makfi and she won on four occasions and placed in the G2 Westbury Classic and the G3 Bonecrusher Stakes.
A half-sister to the G2 Shannon Stakes winner Rolling Pin, Enjay’s Almanzor filly now named Avoriaz was sold at Karaka last year to Roger James and Robert Wellwood for $240,000 and she has a King’s Legacy yearling filly and is due to foal again to Almanzor.