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The repatriation of the former top-class New Zealand mare Katana may prove to be a masterstroke after her Kentucky-bred daughter Broken Sword made a stunning career debut in a stakes race at Pleasanton racetrack on Saturday.
Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and ridden by Russell Baze, Broken Sword smashed her six opponents by upwards of 11 lengths in the Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes , running the 5 1/2-furlongs in a swift1:03.27.
"I knew if she ran up to what she did in the mornings that she'd be real tough to beat, but she stepped it up," Baze said. "She's shown a lot of class and quality in the mornings."When I asked her at the head of the stretch, she just ran away from them."
Hollendorfer said he had big plans for 2yo filly.
"She's been pretty much nominated for everything," Hollendorfer said. "It is likely we would run one more time at Santa Rosa and if she runs the same type of race, then we would probably take her to Del Mar (for the Grade I Del Mar Debutante on September 1)."
A daughter of the Unbridled stallion Broken Vow, Broken
Sword was pinhooked out of the 2011 Keeneland September Yearling sale. She went
through the ring again earlier this year bringing $60,000.
Her dam, Katana went through the 2009 Keeneland November Bloodstock sale when carrying Broken Sword. She was knocked down to Bowden Global Equine for $45,000. When Broken Sword was weaned, Katana was sent to Australia and was covered by Stratum in 2010. Unfortunately her colt foal was destroyed. Last year Katana was covered by the all-conquering Fastnet Rock.
Honored as the top filly on the 2002-03 NZ 2YO Free Handicap, Katana won the Group 2 Breeders' Stakes for 2YO fillies at Matamata and was runner-up in the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (G1). She was sold to America where she won an allowance at Santa Anita.
A daughter of multiple champion New Zealand stallion Volksraad (pictured) Katana's granddam Tiz Jean (Straight Strike) is a half-sister to Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes (G1) winner Yir Tiz (Bismark), the dam of the grand sprinter Mr Tiz (Bletchingly) who won two editions of the Telegraph Stakes and crossed the Tasman to stage a last to first performance in The Galaxy (G1) at Randwick.
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