Memorable Riccarton double for Pencarrow

Jay Bee Gee on his way to winning Saturday's Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton. Photo: Race Images South

A well-performed Pencarrow Stud family came up trumps with a memorable winning double at Riccarton and looks set to continue to add to its roll of honour into the future.

The Adrian Bull-trained and raced Jay Bee Gee triumphed in Saturday’s Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) in a thrilling finish and stablemate and half-sister Harmonious, owned by farm principal Sir Peter Vela, claimed the closing event on the card.

They are out of the Pins mare Huluava, who was a three-time winner from 10 appearances before going on to star as a broodmare.

All nine of her foals to race have been winners and includes William Wallace, a son of Darci Brahma who posted Listed victories in the Spring Classic (2000m) and Timaru Cup (1600m) for Bull.

Huluava is also the granddam of the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Pignan.

“It’s a really, really under-rated family and it just keeps on keeping on,” Pencarrow manager Leon Casey said.

“Huluava was very lightly raced and talented, we did take her to Brisbane as a three-year-old but she pulled up sore.

“She was trained by Mark Walker and came back to win another race before she was retired. She’s still on the farm as a nanny.”

Her last foal is the Pencarrow-bred and raced Branciforti, a daughter of Belardo, who has won four of her 13 starts from David Greene’s stable.

“Branciforti and Harmonious can hopefully go on with it and there might be a decent race in one or the other of them,” Casey said.

Turn Me Loose six-year-old Harmonious is now the winner of two of her 13 starts.

“She’s been given plenty of time and Adrian has been really patient, she’s a lot stronger now and has been very unlucky not to win a few more races,” Casey said.

The current headline member of the family Jay Bee Gee is a son of Complacent and was purchased by Bull for $26,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale where he was offered on behalf of Pencarrow by Bradbury Park.

“Adrian has bought a few off us so we always try to support people who support us, we’ve sent him a few in the past and obviously Harmonious has that family link so it all fitted in well,” Casey said.

Huluava is also a half-sister to the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) winner Hasselhoof and the Listed Wairarapa Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) winner Vercors, whose daughter Vichy won of four occasions and placed in the Tauherenikau black type feature.

“Hasselhoof is here on the farm and he’s looking after a paddock full of colts, Vercors is retired but we’re still breeding from Vichy so we’ve got a few members of the family,” Casey said.