Mare takes her chance at Te Rapa

Well-related five-year-old Mulan Ardeche is in the twilight of her career, and she took full advantage of a gilt-edged opportunity at Te Rapa to collect a fourth career victory.

Our homebred and sold daughter of Dundeel produced a tenacious performance to dead heat with Almanzor’s son Gate Crashers at the end of a hard-fought 2100 metres.

“She may run on the synthetic at Cambridge, we’ll see how she does, and then she’ll be off to stud,” trainer Stephen Marsh.

“She’s been a good mare and was given a beautiful ride.”

Mulan Ardeche settled midfield on the fence under apprentice Jack Taplin before improving across the top and produced a resolute finish.

“She did look well-placed with 53.5kg after the claim, she had carried 54kg the start before in an open race.”

A half-sister to G3 Waikato Cup winner Mongolian Marshal, Mulan Ardeche was purchased out of our draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by Raptors Thoroughbreds for $180,000.

She is a daughter of the Dehere mare Ardeche, who won on three occasions and a half-sister to Group winners Forever Loved and Zephron from the Eight Carat family.

Ardeche’s filly by Almanzor sold for $110,000 at Karaka earlier this year and has a yearling daughter of Chaldean.

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