Darley sire Bernardini claimed his first stakes winner in New Zealand when Ruud Awakening strolled home in the LR Wellesley Stakes at Trentham on Saturday.

Bernardini (A P Indy) shuttles to Darley Kelvinside and his first-crop has produced the stakes winners Boban (LR Doomben Phoenix) and Solemn (LR Geelong Classic).

Ruud Awakening (2f Bernardini – Dawn Almighty by Danehill) is the first winner from his second southern crop and jockey Jason Waddell paid her a glowing tribute after weighing in for the Wellesley Stakes.  “She’s an out-and-out superstar filly,” he said.  “She reminds me a lot of Naturo who was one of the best two-year-olds I’ve sat on.”

Ruud Awakening had followed up a trial success with a runaway win on debut at Avondale and relished the firmer track conditions at Trentham.  “It’s always been our plan to get black type and to get the money for the Karaka Million,” trainer Stephen Marsh said. “She will either head for a spell or go for the Murdoch Newell at Pukekohe.”

Raced by the Albert Bosma-managed Go Racing Syndicate, she was a $90,000 purchase out of Westbury Stud’s Premier Sale draft to the NZB Karaka Sale earlier this year.

Ruud Awakening’s dam Dawn Almighty is a half-sister to Australian stakes winner Chester County (Hennessy) and she is also a sister to the dam of the G2 Auckland TBA Stakes winner Ruud Van Slaats (Van Nistelrooy).