Dance Till Dawn (NZ) Powers To Deserve Stakes Success

Dance Till Dawn (NZ) (Art Major) produced the biggest win of her career with a powerful front-running display in the $40,000 Listed Rico Lodge Uncut Gems Mares Classic (1980m) at Addington on Friday night.

The NZB Standardbred graduate led and set a hot pace which barely gave her rivals a look in while running to a well-earned stakes race success for trainers Robert and Jenna Dunn and driver John Dunn.

Dance Till Dawn was purchased for $40,000 by Diamond Racing when she was offered by breeder-vendors Taffy Ltd at the 2020 National Yearling Sale in Christchurch.

The mare’s victory in Friday night’s feature bolstered her already impressive record.

The Dunn stable had been waiting on their chance to unleash Dance Till Dawn to draw on her staying prowess and it was on show in her powerful win on Friday night.

“She has always been a nice filly, she’s always given the impression that she is going to be a good staying mare,” Robert Dunn said.

“Johnny thinks her forte is going to be making her own luck, we had tried it earlier on but she wasn’t as strong.”

“It was a very good drive, I think he was confident when Tim (Williams) drove her the week before and she went good.”

Dance Till Dawn was already a Group One and multiple stakes placegetter, as well as a New Zealand record holder before taking down a quality field of mares in the Uncut Gems Mares Classic.

Dance Till Dawn headed an NZB Standardbred quinella in the Uncut Gems Mares Classic. 

After working hard early in the race, Manhattan (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) chased the winner hard in the home straight to run second.

Dance Till Dawn is raced by Alan Neumann, Ian Neumann, Vinnie Neumann, Emma Hintz, Brent Clarke, Jonathan Slack and Su Langdon.

Five of those owners enjoyed more success at Addington on Friday night with another NZB Standardbred graduate Adesanya (NZ) (Art Major) impressed when working hard and then outstaying his opposition in race 11.

“We are rapt for the owners because he showed a lot of promise as a young horse but he fractured a pastern,” Robert Dunn said.
“Then he fractured the one on the other side.”
“We said he was a nice horse and we wanted to give him his chance, so the owners agreed straight away.”

“It is great for them that he is going so well and a great result for Sam Taylor at Rangiora Vets.”

The classy four-year-old was purchased for $45,000 by Diamond Racing when he was offered by breeder-vendors Alabar.

Photo: Diamond Racing