Karaka graduate Summer's Day (NZ) (Darci Brahma) greatly enhanced her broodmare value with an outstanding win in Saturday's $50,000 Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m).
Purchased at the 2012 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale for $30,000, the four-year-old mare has now earned more than $120,000 in prize-money. After Saturday's win, her first at black-type level, her value extends well beyond that.
"She's been a great little mare to us," said Wayne Pike, who owns the mare in partnership with wife Vicki and their trainer son Tony, along with Lynton Ltd.
"This is very special, particularly with her being a family horse as well. Hopefully she might even improve again next year."
Ridden by Vinnie Colgan for trainer Tony Pike, Summer's Day sat in third place before racing clear down the straight to win by two and a half lengths from Aide Memoire (NZ) (Remind) and Designated Driver (NZ) (Danroad).
Summer's Day is now the winner of six races from 16 starts. She has won four of her last six and her last three in a row.
"She's a mare who's kept improving and maturing with time," Tony Pike said. "She's come a long way in this preparation. That's three wins in a row now, and she's got black type as well which is really valuable."
Bred by Helen-Gaye and Graham Bax at Blandford Lodge, along with Go Bloodstock New Zealand, Summer's Day is out of the winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare One Perfect Day (NZ). She is the dam of two winners, both stakes performers – Dagny (NZ) (Darci Brahma) was placed in the Group 3 Emirates Airline Plate at Flemington.
Summer's Day became the 10th individual stakes winner in New Zealand this season for her sire, the million-dollar Karaka yearling graduate Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill). He won five Group 1 races himself and is the sire of Group 1 winners Recite (NZ), Nashville (NZ), Julinsky Prince (NZ), Risque (NZ), Artistic (NZ), Irish Fling (NZ) and Gust Of Wind (NZ).
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