Pencarrow Racing celebrated the second to last day of 2013 with Biddable (NZ) (Exceed and Excel) triumphant in the Rating 75 $8,000 Kinloch 1200m at Taupo, the day before Pencarrow Stud Principal Sir Peter Vela was honoured with the Knight Companion of The New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) for services to the thoroughbred industry.

Biddable was a last start winner over 1400m at Hastings but was dropping back to 1200m for yesterday’s race and started a warm race-favourite for resident Pencarrow Stud trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie.

Australian based jockey James McDonald was aboard the four-year-old mare with McDonald returning to New Zealand on a working holiday. The former stable jockey for Pencarrow has enjoyed great success in the Pencarrow colours winning such races as the Group 1 Telegraph Handicap on Guiseppina.

Starting from barrier 2, McDonald let Biddable find her feet early in the race as the speed was hotly contested and the field was strung out due to the fast pace. Near the 600m the pair were around 10 lengths off the leader with a lot of ground to make up.

Entering the straight Biddable got into clear running and McDonald unleashed the mare with a devastating final sprint that saw her pick the leaders and claim victory with a well-timed run that saw Biddable break the track record in a time of 1.09.28.

“It was a good win and she broke the track record,” stated Ramsay. “You wouldn’t believe it but we broke the track record last year with Ebullient.

“She is really good when she is tracking good speed, she was coming back from 1400m to 1200m which probably wasn’t ideal but with James being here we wanted to have him on.

“They ran along a bit up front so it was a good effort. Taupo is not the easiest track either, if the leaders can get a break on the field at the corner they can scoot away and be hard to pick up.

“There is the Listed Fairdale/Goodwood Studs Flying Handicap at Awapuni in March that Guiseppina won a few years ago over 1400m that we want to target.”

Bred by Sir Peter Vela and Philip Vela, Biddable is by Australia’s Champion Sire of last season Exceed and Excel. The mare has now won three races from her eight starts and has a further four placings to her name, earning $22,450 in prizemoney.

Biddable is the first foal out of Group 1 placegetter Uberalles (Giant’s Causeway), a daughter of the champion mare Ethereal (Rhythm), the Group 1 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups double heroine for Pencarrow Stud. She is from a long line of Pencarrow Stud mares that includes Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram) and Richebourg (Vice Regal).

Uberalles was sent to the United Kingdom this breeding season and is in foal, in Southern Hemisphere time, to undefeated champion Frankel, the highest rated horse of all time.

Pencarrow Racing enjoyed a good day at Taupo with Queen of Excuses (No Excuse Needed), Elysium (O’Reilly) and Epicurean (Flying Spur) all running third.