Ekstreme: Latest Win a Turning Point

Taranaki trained four-year-old mare Ekstreme had already displayed rare ability to transition from three-year-old filly to WFA racing with wins earlier this season in the Group Two Cal Isuzu Stakes and Group One Captain Cook stakes, both at 1600m, but last Saturday weeks facile win in the Group Two Travis Stakes at 2000m could well turn out to be a more significant success as far as the rest of this season and beyond is concerned.

While I wasn't as confident as trainer Bryce Revell who answered äfter 200m" when asked post race at what stage did he feel she had Saturday's feature won, I can't recall the last time I saw a horse travelling so well in a major race.

Wet track form even in stakes races can often be dubious but despite her long odds there was a rare ease about Ekstreme's win in last seasons Lowland Stakes at 2100m on a heavy track that showed her to be well above average and certainly most adept on wet ground.

While her subsequent form has been a little patchy she has never struck the same race conditions until her latest Te Rapa performance. One though must be careful not to define her as a wet tracker, in fact nothing could be more inappropriate for she has also shown rare ability on top of the ground and at distances arguably short of her optimum trip, winning the Captain Cook and the Travis at Te Rapa breaking 1.34 for 1600m.

Stepping up to somewhere near her best trip and striking a decent wet track saw her start a very warm favourite for the Travis Stakes but for the initiated there were still question marks about her ability to relax in the slower tempo of distance racing, a trait that had raised itself in last years Queensland Oaks and was again noticeable in the Zabeel Classic this season. Apparently a notorious puller in trackwork, Ekstreme had a habit that needed breaking if she was to be competitive with the very best at 2000m plus and while she needs to be able to demonstrate this consistently her latest Te Rapa performance is clearly encouraging.

Judging by the noise on course each time Ekstreme wins her owners The Waimea Racing Syndicate sound like they are getting an immense thrill out of racing the high class mare but another very interested party is Hawkes Bay breeder Alan Jackson who purchased Ekstreme's yearling half brother by Mr Nancho and their dam Cashcade privately just before last year's Captain Cook Stakes; Jackson's astute transaction has potential to be even more sweeter if the private reputation of Ekstreme's yet unraced two-year-old half brother Maradona can come to fruition - owned by the same syndicate which raced Tavistock, his trainer Andrew Campbell makes no secret how highly he rates the Mr Nancho colt.

I saw Maradona's yearling full brother (Cashcades third foal) and the second part of Alan Jackson's package purchase at Greg and Jo Griffin's operation on the old Okawa Stud property just before Xmas and while a little plain in appearance -not unlike his half sister - there s a rawboned masculinity about the tough natured gelding who Hastings trainer Patrick Campbell will be entrusted to fine tune when he enters his stable shortly.

As her Captain Cook victory showed Ekstreme is one of the country's leading milers however she indicates from the glimpses we have had of her on a wet track and in the right frame of mind that she is capable of taking an even more significant prize at 2000m with conditions to suit.