Jaarffi Claims Group One as Yulong Dominates New Zealand Oaks

Jaarffi, a six-year-old daughter of Iffraaj raced and bred by Cambridge Stud principals Sir Brendan Lindsay and Lady Jo Lindsay, claimed her first Group One when she surged late to win the $600,000 Sport Nation Ōtaki-Māori Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie, taking her record to five wins from 24 starts and pushing her prizemoney past $953,000. The leggy mare grabbed leader Pier in the last two strides to notch Group 1 black-type for Cambridge Stud and add another high-class prospect to the Lindsay broodmare band.

The race was run with Jaarffi three wide without cover for much of the 1600m, yet the galloping filly extended strongly in the straight. Loveracing quoted the rider saying, "I wasn’t too concerned when we were wide as she is such a huge striding filly it allowed her to extend when I wanted to," and added, "Pier gave me a good tussle but she deserved this." SportNation supplied the winner’s image, crediting Kenton Wright of Race Images for the photograph of Jaarffi hitting the line.

Trainer Lance Noble reflected on the breakthrough, saying it was "job done" after securing Group 1 black-type with a mare described in coverage as tricky to train. Connections have immediate plans to press on for higher targets, with NZ Herald noting Jaarffi will chase further Group 1 glory in the $1 million Bonecrusher NZ Stakes at Ellerslie on March 7. Saturday’s runner-up Pier is not assured of a start in that feature, while third-placed Provence was described as much improved but "unlikely to extend to 2000m" at this stage.

Yulong Investments again stamped its mark on the fillies’ division at Ellerslie by sealing the quinella in the Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m), with Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park) beating fellow recent purchase Autumn Glory. Breednet had earlier labelled Ohope Wins a commanding favourite for the $1 million Oaks on February 21, and reported she had transformed from a maiden into a dual Group Two winner within two starts. Breednet said Ohope Wins now sits clear third on the NZB Filly of the Year table after her rapid rise.

Breednet’s points detail showed Single Red joining the leaderboard with four points and Tajana moving up to fourth on the season table with 10 points; Breednet noted Tajana would need to win the Oaks in two weeks’ time if Ohope Wins finishes no better than third to keep title hopes alive. Coverage highlighted Yulong’s aggressive purchase strategy, noting the group had "made a splash in New Zealand this season, buying up the nation’s leading three-year-old filly talent" and referenced their recent image with an undefeated Group One winner and $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) favourite Well Written.

Across the harbour at Avondale, headlines celebrated staying ability and resilience: That’s Gold was credited with proving staying qualities in the Avondale Guineas, while Final Return (NZ) (Reliable Man) defied an Australian challenge to win the Avondale Cup. RacingNews noted Final Return had "held the start up for over five minutes at his last run at Ellerslie due to a pre-race issue" before returning to claim the Cup, underlining the durable, rugged profile broadcasters and punters have come to expect.

The day at Ellerslie consolidated two clear narratives for New Zealand racing: Cambridge Stud converting a long-overdue high-class performer into Group One success for future broodmare value, and Yulong Investments continuing to convert its buying power into immediate race-day results in the three-year-old filly ranks.