First Class Heads Group Three Kindergarten Stakes

First Class (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) lived up to his name when scorching to an impressive win in the Group Three Kindergarten Stakes (1609m) at Wyndham on Saturday. 

 

Driver Tim Williams controlled the pace of the race, which made the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained pacer impossible to run down in the two-year-old feature.

 

First Class headed a trifecta of NZB Standardbred’s 2019 National Yearling Sale graduates when holding out Delightful Dude (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) and American Lightning (NZ) (American Ideal).

 

First Class went to the line with his earplugs intact while pacing his last 400m in a sizzling 26.4 seconds, holding out Delightful Dude by three-quarters of a length, winning Saturday’s mile feature in 1.56.6.

 

“It worked out good for him, especially with his gate speed, he is a good gaited wee horse,” Williams said.

 

First Class is raced by Gary and Kerry Woodham, Phil and Glenys Kennard, Jim and Ann Gibbs and the Breckon Racing Syndicate, the same group that owns current New Zealand Horse Of The Year, Spankem (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight).

 

The Kennards purchased First Class for $55,000 at NZB Standardbred’s 2019 National Yearling Sale and syndicated the pacer after he was offered as part of Rosedale Farm’s Christchurch draft.

 

Delightful Dude held second by a length and three-quarters over American Lightning. The runner-up was purchased by All Stars Racing Stables for $80,000 when offered by the Belmont Park draft. Third place-getter American Lightning was purchased for $16,000 by trainer Graeme Anderson from the Birchbrook Breeding draft.

 

First Class came in to the Group Three Kindergarten Stakes after placing second to star two-year-old and fellow NZB Standardbred graduate, Krug (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight), in last month’s Group Three Sapling Stakes.

 

Vendor	Rosedale Farm
Purchaser	PI & GJ Kennard Bloodstock
Breeding	Bettors Delight x Amaretto Bromac
Sale	Lot 353, NZB Standardbred’s 2019 Christchurch National Yearling Sale, $50,000
Bred by	Bromac Lodge Limited