Chosen One chases cup win

Southland-owned stayer The Chosen One with be lining up in the Melbourne Cup for the third time next week.

He gave his 18 owners a thrill when fourth in the Cup last year after finishing 17th in 2019. The Chosen One’s owners live throughout the country, including his Southland breeders, the Dennis brothers – Tony, Ray, Joe and Martin, of Woodlands.

‘‘He’s had more trips to Australia than I’ve had,’’ Ray said of the racehorse.

The 6-year-old entire, trained in the Waikato by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, is on his sixth trip to Australia chasing lucrative stake money. He left for Melbourne in August and his four subsequent starts have resulted in a second, a third, a fourth and a 14th. The 14th was in the Caulfield Cup on October 16.

He raced keenly and wouldn’t settle in the Caulfield Cup, Joe said.

A win in the Group I Melbourne Cup would be good publicity for The Chosen One’s stud career after he finished racing, Tony said.

‘‘What we want is a Group I win [with The Chosen One] ... we’ve had placings.’’

Tony thought this season would be The Chosen One’s last as a racehorse before beginning a stud career.

As well as breeding and racing horses, the Dennis brothers are regular vendors at the Karaka yearling sales in Auckland. At the sale in January they will have one entry, a colt by Charm Spirit out of The Pearler.

Tony’s son, Robert, had a day to remember at a Wingatui race meeting last week when training three winners – The Gift, Savezar and Accuse.

It was the third time Robert had trained three winners in a day.

Robert will be taking several horses to the three-day New Zealand Cup meeting in Christchurch on November 6, 10 and 13. One of his horses, Probella, is nominated for the $300,000 One Thousand Guineas on the third day. Robert will race her at Wingatui on November 2 as a lead in to the guineas.

‘‘Hopefully, she can win [at Wingatui] and win well and press on to the guineas,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Southlanders and their horses have featured in the South Island Racing Awards for the 2020-21 season. The awards they won were: Owner of the Year, Kelvin Tyler; Breeder of the Year, Willy and Karen Calder; Stayer of the Year, Our Boy Ritchie; Jumper of the Year, Ringbolt.