Sparkling Kiwi winner by Manhattan Rain

Friday, 15 March 2024 | Kiwi trainer Terri Rae has a consistent team stabled at Ashburton with winners like Manhattan Rain’s progressive filly Kindling Spark.

Rae has targeted black-type for Kindling Spark and she will be on a hat-trick in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on April 13.  The lightly-tried 3yo won a Riccarton maiden from a wide draw last month and doubled up in the Farm Source Hcp (1600m) at Ashburton on Thursday.

She settled midfield on home turf behind free-wheeling Vaudevire (Alamosa) and was too sharp for the leader when Lisa Allpress left the rails to issue a strong challenge in the straight.

“It really suits her getting over a bit of ground at the mile and she’s getting better each time with a bit more ringcraft,” Rae said after the two-length win.

“It wasn’t an overly strong field and we were confident she would be pretty hard to beat.”

Kindling Spark owns a pedigree that will interest breeders in the Westspeed State.  She is by Geisel Park resident Manhattan Rain and her dam Membership is a daughter of All American who has been based at Geisel Park since 2016.

There would be no shortage of broodmare owners in a position to continue that cross in Western Australia.

Membership also has a WA background through her dam Lodare Falls (Redoute’s Choice) who won the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes in 1996.  Her full-sister Illusional foaled Ms Funovits (Reset) to win the G2 Karrakatta Plate in 2013.

Meanwhile, Manhattan Rain’s star sprinter Jigsaw returns from a summer spell in the $200,000 VOBIS Gold Comet (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.  Jigsaw has a 60% winning first-up strike-rate and he burst through $1million in prizemoney during the spring carnival for part-owner and trainer Cindy Alderson.