Courtesy of New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing

Katie Lee Wins Gr.2 Sir Tristram Classic (February 15 2010)

The super honest Pins filly Katie Lee fittingly achieved an assailable lead on the New Zealand Bloodstock ‘Filly of the Year’ Series with a gutsy win in the Gr.2 Cambridge Stud Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.

With the title safely secured, a certain squaring of the ledger has subsequently taken place for Cambridge Stud’s Hogan family.

“My wife Justine and daughters Nicola and Erin raced Singalong, who won the 2000/01 NZB Filly of the year,’ said Sir Patrick.

“She was trained by Graeme Rogerson & Stephen Autridge and was purchased by Justine at the inaugural Select Fillies Sale for $20,000. I also purchased a $90,000 yearling that year, but it didn’t prove anywhere as good.”

Although indirectly represented on the Filly’s honours list with progeny by Cambridge Stud’s sires Keeper (Insouciant, 2007/08) and Sir Tristram (Tri Belle 1986/87, Royal Heights 1985/86 and Noble Heights 1981/82), Sir Patrick can now lay claim to his own place in the history books, thanks to a last minute 2008 Premier Yearling sale decision.

“I had some time on my hands, so I was standing by the arena waiting for one of my own yearlings to come through,” said Sir Patrick.

“In the back of mind, I had been thinking about purchasing a suitable candidate for the Karaka Million, which is a race we all like to have a horse in these days.

“ Whilst waiting this grey filly entered. She was immensely short coupled, had deep body, a great girth and looked strong and well muscled.

“I thought, well she could do the job, so I glanced down at her pedigree page.

“It was a family that I didn’t have anything from and the fillies from it were tough sorts.

“When I looked up again the bidding had already started. I got straight into it and $340,000 later Katie Lee was mine. Just three minutes earlier and I hadn’t so much as sighted her”.

All told, the Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan-owned mare has now achieved 7 career wins and has only ever once placed outside the top three in all of her 15 career outings. Ironically, this would be in the Karaka Million.

Trained by Graeme & Debbie Rogerson, Katie Lee announced her black-type superiority in 2009 with wins in January’s Gr.3 ARC Eclipse Stakes (1200m), October’s Listed Waikato RC James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m), November’s Gr.1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (1600m) and December’s Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m).

Saturday’s Gr.2 win was in fact the first of her 2010 stakes wins, although highly creditable efforts were earlier dished out when second and third respectively in the Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) and the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).

With consequent earnings showing NZ$1,065,925, Sir Patrick Hogan’s last minute $340,000 purchase has certainly paid dividends.

The same can also be said for farmer Trevor Hurley, who in partnership with Denny and Mark Baker of Hallmark Stud, has turned both Katie Lee’s $1000 grand dam, Miss Distinction and Katie Lee’s dam Miss Jessie Jay intosuperior black-type broodmares.