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Find your Sport Nation frequencyPerfect result for Falconer at Avondale
Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • July 16th, 2025 5:14 pm
Gina Rosa winning the Volare Italian Restaurant Maiden 1600 at Avondale on Wednesday | Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Cambridge horsewoman Margaret Falconer celebrated a winning double at Avondale on Wednesday with a pair of progressive staying prospects.
The first to salute on the midweek card was Hakata Bay, a one-win galloper resuming off a spell in the Byerley Park 1400. The son of Mongolian Khan had collected his maiden on a firm surface over the summer, but faced a stark contrast at the Auckland venue, stepping out in the middle of the card on a true Heavy10 track.
In the hands of Joe Doyle, Hakata Bay settled midfield and had plenty of ground to make up on the leaders turning for home. Race favourite Blondie hit the lead around the 150m mark and Hakata Bay was steadily making up ground, and in the final 50m, Doyle asked for an extra effort and he responded, defying his $34 winning quote to score by a neck.
Doyle, who recently returned to the Kiwi riding ranks after spending much of the winter overseas, praised the gelding’s effort after being well back on the turn.
“On the turn, I thought we were going to be nowhere, but once he got balanced and got running in the straight, I thought we’d be involved,” he said. “He got his neck out at the right time.
“He looks a bit progressive, I think he’ll stay, and he’s handled the ground well today. He’s won on a Good track before, they’ve got loads of options. Just on the turn, I thought he was falling apart under me, but once we got straightened and running, he wasn’t bad, so nicer ground will suit him.”
It hadn’t been a comfortable watch for Falconer, but she was delighted with the result.
“He has been going really well, I think he’s a lot stronger than last prep, but we were worried being fresh-up on the heavy ground,” she said. “When he got down on the rail, I was thinking ‘how is he going to get out of here’, because he’s a big horse.
“He’s quite a nice galloper, so it didn’t surprise me that when he got out, he ran home well.
“He’ll make into a staying horse for the early spring, that’s our target. He jarred up last time after he won and he’s had a nice break, so that’s the plan.
“He won on Good3 at Te Rapa when he won his maiden, so I think he does prefer it better.”
Falconer was back in the winner’s circle two races later, courtesy of improving filly Gina Rosa. A three-year-old by Belardo, Gina Rosa shortened from a price of $31 into $9.50, and she justified the late plunge with an impressive performance in the Volare Italian Restaurant Maiden 1600.
Yuga Okubo decreased her impost down to a featherlight 52.5kg, and the young apprentice sat back in the second half of the field early as a speed battle unfolded on top. Among those near the lead was the favourite in Rio Grande, who started a two-horse war in the straight was Costanza.
Those two looked set to fight out the finish, but coming flying up the inside was Gina Rosa, who showed a tidy turn of foot in the conditions to get up by 1–¼ lengths.
Falconer, who also bred the filly, had hoped for a positive showing and was duly rewarded.
“We had a little bet on her, but not very much,” she said. “I thought she may have needed another run for experience, but we’re happy with that.
“She can gallop and it was nice that he (Okubo) let her find her feet early, she is going to get up over ground and stay.
“She’s been a bit of a work in progress, she missed some early trials when we couldn’t get a run, so we probably went to the races a bit early with her. She’s taken a bit to learn, but she’s a half to Wordsworth, who won nine races for us, so I think she can go on with it.”
The winning brace took Falconer’s season total to eight wins from just 63 starts.
“They are horses that we are hoping to have coming through for the spring, so it was really good to get the wins today,” she said. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
