November 25, 2024Nadal wins inaugural $1 million The Meteorite
The inaugural running of the $1 million The Meteorite at Cranbourne on Cranbourne Cup Day witnessed a scintillating performance by a Newhaven Park bred, raised and sold graduate when Nadal produced one of the finest performances of the 2024 Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Fresh off a luckless fourth at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival when he posted the second fastest final 200-metre sectional time of the week, the 4-year-old son of resident sire Xtravagant (NZ) came from last to first with a devastating final burst to score by two and three-quarter lengths under Ethan Brown.
Reflecting after his successful ride, Brown said: “It [the tempo] looked quick on paper and I did want to be a bit closer, but they kept up that genuine gallop which pushed us a pair further back.
“I just rode in [towards the rail] as they started fanning around the corner and I thought we can’t loop them… a gap presented and off he went.”
Brown added: “He’s very talented and he’s in the right stable. They’ll put him through his grades and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in a stakes race, and the horses he beat there then, it just puts the writing on the wall, doesn’t it? The feeling he gave me was terrific, and I’d like to stay on his back.”
Nadal is trained out of the Ciaron Maher stable located on the Cranbourne track which was represented by Adrian Joyce on the day. He was quoted as saying afterward the win, “You would think after that run that he’d be a Group 1 contender now.
“He deserves his right to have a crack at one — 1200 seems to be his sweet spot, but he can get a bit further as well. I’m sure Ciaron will find the right race for him.”
Nadal took his earnings to $652,865 with the ‘slot-race’ victory. After just 10 starts, the exciting son of Xtravagant has posted three wins and two placings — having saluted both left- and right-handed.
Earlier in the same week, Nadal’s 2-year-old full-brother — also bred, raised and sold as a yearling by Newhaven Park — fetched NZ$450,000 at the NZB Ready-to-Run Sale at Karaka and is now set to go into training with Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibold.
Looking forward, Newhaven Park is to offer a home-bred yearling full-brother to Nadal at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for which the youngster is already catalogued as Lot 689.