The latest Group 1 winner for Thorn Park saluted in the Flight Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.  Sadly, the Windsor Park champion has been taken out of service this season and can’t capitalize on the convincing victory by Norzita.

Norzita (NZ) made amends for losing the G3 Tea Rose Stakes on protest with a convincing victory over Longport (Casino Prince) at Randwick.  She is trained by Bart Cummings for old pal Dato Tan Chin Nam.

Cummings has prepared five Flight Stakes winners – Norzita follows Cap d’Antibes (1974), Apollua (1976), Sun Sally (1977) and Danarani (1994).  “Bart wants to take it one step at a time as far as a Melbourne campaign is concerned,” Dato Tan Chin Nam’s manager Duncan Ramage said.  “But she did win with authority.”

Thorn Park (Spinning World) has sired a Group 1 winner in all five crops starting with Veyron (Easter Hcp) in the first and The Party Stand (New Zealand Stakes) in the second.  Champion galloper Jimmy Choux appeared in the third and last-start Underwood Stakes winner Ocean Park is the standout galloper in his fourth crop.

Thorn Park sustained a punctured sole to a hind foot last month with a resulting infection giving rise to secondary issues including laminitis.  Windsor Park announced he will be rested from stud duties for the remainder of the breeding season.

Norzita (3f Thorn Park – Visique by Quest For Fame) is a $200,000 graduate of the 2011 NZB Karaka yearling sale.  Her High Chaparral half-brother made $180,000 at the 2012 Inglis Easter yearling sale.

Their dam Visique also foaled Hollows (Thorn Park) to win the LR Wellesley Stakes in 2009.  It’s a precocious family and includes G1 T J Smith winner Melito while G1 racehorse and sire Zeditave features a generation further back.

– Karl Patterson