Ambitious Champion: Stakeswinning Potential

On a red letter day for his sire courtesy of Usainity's (Zed - Day Tripper by Bin Ajwaad) courgaeous win in the Group 3 Frank Packer Plate at Randwick in Sydney, Ambitious Champion (Zed - Simply Sally by Sackford) clearly flagged himself as Zed's next stakeswinner with an astonishing performance to land the NZ Bloodstock Insurance Premier 3 Year Old over 2000m at Te Rapa.

Ridden with typical patience by Oppie Bosson, the gelding moved sweetly into the race with cover from the 600m, and as they approached the turn it only looked a matter of how far given the way he was travelling compared to his counterparts. In his brief career though Ambitious Champion has a history of doing things the hard way and as the field swung wide on the point of the turn the long striding gelding cannoned into the runner inside him, losing conservatively three to four lengths, not to mention considerable momentum.

Despite his task looking forlorn he gathered himself and although running in on a couple of occassions, the gelding drove relentlessly down the outside, getting up right on the line. In many respects this was a similar tale to his effort at Te Rapa on 16 March when he lost around eight lengths at the start and rattled home, but on that occasion though just failing to pick-up pick up the winner.

Ambitious Champion has been responsible for two of the most impressive performances on a northern racecourse this season, one in narrow defeat and one in victory, and although the calibre of horses he has met are not great and there is an inclination to get caught in the current hype surrounding his sire, he does look a most exciting type for next season and better than a real chance to become Zed's third individual stakeswinner.