Road to Jericho continues Yolo’s resurgence
The A$300,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) could be on the radar for Yolo (NZ) (Zed), who continued her return to form with a four-length runaway in Saturday’s NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho (3210m) at New Plymouth.
Saturday’s race carried a ballot-free entry into the Jericho Cup at Warrnambool on November 30, with NZB Airfreight offering a $5000 equine airfreight credit to the winner if they embark on that trans-Tasman mission.
The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained Nassak Diamond used the New Plymouth qualifier as a springboard to Jericho Cup success two years ago, while Yolo’s trainer Kevin Myers won a similar qualifying race with Botti (NZ) (Jakkalberry) at Riccarton in 2022 before crossing the Tasman and running second to Bastida (NZ) (Pierro) in that year’s Jericho Cup.
Just a few months ago, these lofty targets may have seemed a long way away for Yolo, who had scored the most recent of her four career victories back in November of 2022.
But a maiden hurdle victory at Trentham in early June started to turn things around for the Zed mare, who has since reverted to flat racing and scored back-to-back wins in a 2100m Rating 75 at Otaki on September 6 and now the Road to Jericho a week later.
“It was a good performance today by a mare that Kevin seems to have got back into form,” owner-breeder Sam Trotter said.
“I’ll leave it up to Kevin to decide what he does with her from here, but that entry into the Jericho Cup has to be quite attractive. She might be a suitable horse for the race, considering her style of sitting back and doing nothing in the running before picking up and running home strongly in the last 600m. But it’ll be Kevin who makes that decision.”
Yolo was ridden on Saturday by apprentice jockey Elle Sole, who settled in the second half of the field as Billy Boy (NZ) (So You Think) and The Finnster (NZ) (Vadamos) showed the way through the early part of the race.
While the Heavy10 conditions began to take their toll on most of the field coming into the final 700m of the energy-sapping 3210m journey, Yolo moved forward with ease. She swept to the lead and strode clear, pulling away down the straight to beat Roc Up Ralph (NZ) (Roc de Cambe) by four and a quarter lengths.
“That was really good,” Sole said. “It was similar to what she did at Otaki last week. She just travelled beautifully the whole way. She got herself into a nice rhythm. I just gave her a little squeeze down the side and she just went into it. It was easy from there and a pretty cool feeling.”
Yolo has now had 46 starts for seven wins, 12 placings and $189,710 in prize money. She was a multiple Group performer in her three-year-old season, finishing fourth in the Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m), Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m) and Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2000m).
Yolo is by Zed out of the Al Akbar mare Take Three (NZ), who herself won six races and went on to even greater success as a broodmare. Seven of her progeny have been winners and have delivered more than 30 wins between them, headed by 11-race winner and Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) heroine Kick Back (NZ) (Bahhare).
“It’s been a special family,” Trotter said. “I bred and trained the mother Take Three. She did a good job herself and has given us a lot of winning sons and daughters. One of those was Portland Jimmy (NZ) (Mettre En Jeu), who started off in Fraser Auret’s stable before heading across to Australia and having some country cups success with Patrick Payne. Kevin obviously has a very successful working relationship with Patrick, so it could be a possibility that this mare might head the same way.”
