Pin Me Up poster girl for Jamie’s $1m double

On a day he has made his own in recent years, Matamata trainer Jamie Richards scooped a brilliant $1 million race double at Ellerslie when Pin Me Up scored an upset victory in the Karaka Million 3YO (1600m).

After snaring a sixth consecutive Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) with Dynastic just two races earlier, Richards was confidently expected to do the double with three-year-old On The Bubbles, who started a $1.50 favourite in the 3YO race yesterday.

Last season’s winner of the two-yearold feature had a red-hot rider Opie Bosson aboard, but it all turned to custard for the combination when they were trapped three-wide outside the leaders after making a lightning move to try and snatch pacemaking duties at the 800m.

Just as On The Bubbles started to weaken and an upset appeared on the cards it was three-year-old Pins filly Pin Me Up ($24 win) who reignited the Te Akau Racing challenge in the race as she strode to the front for rider Sam Weatherley.

Chased hard by Tutukaka, Karman

Line and Verona, Pin Me Up held them all out by a neck to score her second and biggest career victory, setting up a $70K first four dividend.

Pin Me Up was purchased by Sydneybased bloodstock agent Andrew Williams, who has worked in conjunction with David Ellis to purchase horses for owner Peter Collier, outlaying $270,000 to capture her from the 2020 Karaka Sale from Waikato Stud’s draft.

‘‘She has been a slow maturing filly that has needed a bit of time,’’ Richards said.

Richards believes the filly, who holds a nomination for both the Levin Classic (1600m) and New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham in March, will only get better. ‘‘Whatever she does as a three-yearold, she will be lengths better next season,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s all in front of her and we won’t rush with her.

‘‘I’d also like to give a big thanks to Sam Weatherley.

‘‘He is the next generation of riders coming through, he has been to Sydney and learnt his craft and after he rode with such maturity for us on New Year’s day, we were happy to give him the opportunity today.’’

Weatherley was in awe of what had transpired just minutes earlier as he described his feelings about the victory.

‘‘I’m just so glad I could deliver and gee she won with a bit in hand.

‘‘Jamie told me she was a big topthree chance and he was spot on.

‘‘I just travelled nicely in my own little world and when we got to the front, I thought I had gone a bit early.

‘‘Fortunately, she is a good filly and it was a super training effort.’’ Bred by Waikato Stud, she is by award-winning stallion Pins with her dam, Brampton Loco (by O’Reilly), a half-sister to G2 winner Pimms Time.

The Richards-trained Dynastic had disputed favouritism with the unbeaten Wolverine for the $1m 2YO Karaka throughout the week and it was fitting the pair would set down to fight out the finish as they swooped into the race from midfield yesterday.

Bosson was at his brilliant best as he got every ounce of effort out of Dynastic in the last 100m to draw clear of the game Wolverine and win by a

length-and-a-half, with his stablemate Fellini running on resolutely to claim third.

The victory provided Richards and the Te Akau Racing stable with a sixth consecutive victory in the 2YO race (the first two with Richards in partnership with Stephen Autridge) and possibly Richards’ last as he leaves New Zealand in April to take up a rich contract to train in Hong Kong.

The connections of promising threeyear-old Mackenzie Lad ($7) went from a stakes-winning high to one of the worst feelings in racing within the space of a few seconds yesterday.

The Vespa gelding edged out the favourite Ruby’s Lad by a neck to claim his first black-type win in the $60K Gore Guineas (1335m), but broke down badly soon after the finish line.

‘‘Sadly, he broke his leg past the line and had to be put down,’’ Riccarton cotrainer Matthew Pitman said.

‘‘At least Diego [Montes de Oca, jockey] wasn’t injured, but we’ve gone from a big high to a terrible low pretty quickly.’’

Raced by his breeders Grant Midgley and Stephanie Rathgen, Mackenzie Lad lined up in 13 races for three wins, seven placings and more than $104,000.

‘‘It sometimes happens to the really good ones because they try so hard,’’ Pitman said. ‘‘He was a pretty special horse. The only time he ever finished worse than fourth was when he was sixth in the [NZ] 2000 Guineas from a wide run.

‘‘We had been working our way towards the Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham in March, that was how highly we thought of him, but unfortunately it’s not to be. It’s a tough one to take.’’