Fortuna winners RAGAMUFFIN and MOHAWK BRAVE make it a double for the Fortuna Racing Team Hastings 2nd March
The Fortuna Three Year Old Geldings, RAGAMUFFIN and MOHAWK BRAVE certainly produced the goods with each of them winning their respective races at Hastings on 2nd March and both ridden by emerging Te Akau apprentice rider, Niranjan Parmar. RAGAMUFFIN (Belardo – Short Tale) MOHAWK BRAVE (Extreme Choice-Ben’s Duchess) scored his 3rd win from just four race day starts
RAGAMUFFIN, who carries the stablename “Harry”, was away well in the Maiden 1200m event, traveled nicely in the run in 2nd place, was in the centre of 3 runners as they turned, with stable mate Pisco Sour on his outside and Thatsmorelikeit on his inside and, remarkably, these three fought out a ding dong battle all the way up the straight, with RAGAMUFFIN, in a head bobbing finish, getting the decisive bob in right on the line.
Click HERE to see the race replay
“He showed a bit of ticker in a tight finish and the three-kilo allowance was a big help,” said trainer Jamie Richards. “He fought, displayed tenacity, and got his head down at the right time. He didn’t have much luck at his last start and we’d been happy with him after a break and trialled well since. It was good to see him win like that.”
Ragamuffin in action Hastings 2nd March 2022
Fortuna Racing Boss, John Galvin, was on track at Hastings, to watch his charges perform. “Whew, what a finish, Ragamuffin was definitely headed by his stable mate in the last 100m, but then he fought back, but in the meantime, the inside horse was also coming again – watching the replay, I thought we were a chance of getting the judges call and so it proved. Congrats to Jamie Richards, he made the call to freshen Harry after his last start, believing that he just needed to strengthen up a bit and a winning trial a couple of weeks ago showed that he was on the right track. Well done to Parmar as well for a great ride, he showed experience beyond his years in a tight finish like that.”
RAGAMUFFIN was acquired by David Ellis on behalf of Fortuna at the 2020 NZ Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale, for $80,000, from the draft of Lilywhites Lodge and was bred by Paul Moroney and Catherine Bruggeman
He is raced by the Fortuna Ragamuffin Syndicate, an ownership group consisting of 31 individuals
Two races later, it was MOHAWK BRAVE’S turn to shine in the 3yo Set Weights and Penalties 1400m event. The winner of his first two races in late October and late December 2021, MOHAWK had come up short in the Group 3 1200 at Ellerslie on Karaka Million evening after enduring a torrid run from a wide draw, but had stepped up in trip to contest this 1400m event. Drawn out but in a small field of sevem Parmar had him away well, then steadied into a one out, one back position. Traveling nicely, he was poised to challenge as they turned, but the Allan Sharrock trained Per Inaway, also the winner of 2 of his 3 raceday starts was in for the fight, however MOHAWK BRAVE, showing his exceptional turn of foot once again, was too strong in the closing stages and went to the line with a half length margin and 3.5 lengths back to the 3rd horse
Click HERE to see the race replay
“He’s putting together a good record,” said trainer Jamie Richards, securing his 13th winner in 10 ten days. “He’s a pretty handy horse, by a really good stallion, Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt), just run off his feet last time and the 1400 metres suited him. He was very well ridden by Parmar, able to take up a position one out and one back. Once he got to the outside in the straight he really finished it off well. I’m very happy with the way that he’s going and he’s a promising horse. He freshened up nicely, off 39 days, and the team have a done a great job to present him at the races in such good order. And great to see Parmar ride this horse wo win agin – he is unbeaten on him to date”
Richards said that all going well, Mohawk Brave could take his place against talented stable-mates in $260,000 Levin Classic (Gr. 1, 1600m) on NZ Oaks Day (19 March) at Trentham.
MOHAWK BRAVE – 3rd career win – Hasings 2nd March 2022
Celebrating the second Fortuna victory on the day, John Galvin said: “It was an interesting test for Mohawk to go to 1400 metres today and he didn’t get it all his own way. The Sharrock (trained) horse (Per Inaway) was in for the fight, and he’s got ability as well, so it was very satisfying to see Mohawk Brave get up in the end. With his pedigree, we thought he would be an out and out sprinter, and maybe he is, but when Johnathan Parkes got off him at Ellerslie, in the group three Almanzor Trophy, he said this horse could be 1400m – 1600m. So that’s why we brought him to the 1400m today, in order to test him at the trip, and it now brings the Levin Classic into play. It won’t be easy, it’s a mile, and has to run against some pretty good horses but he deserves the opportunity. Nice effort by Jamie to have this horse going as well as he is, he has had some fetlock issues, but Jamie has been spacing his races nicely and making good use of the water walker”
Mohawk Brave was originally purchased by James Harron Bloodstock for A$160,000 as a yearling at the Inglis Classic Sale, but after two moderate trial’s results and showing signs of coltyness, his Ownership group decided to move him on and John Galvin bought him for A$65,000 in January 2021 at the Inglis Digital Sale on the recommendation of Te Akau Trainer, Mark Walker
MOHAWK BRAVE is raced by the Fortuna Mohawk Syndicate, an ownership group of 42 Individuals, in the main, New Zealanders, but with ownership representation in Australia and Malaysia as well