Monday, 6th May 2024
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A gun front-running ride by Jonathan Riddell and the pugnacious nature of Pop Star Princess (Makfi-Queen of Pop, by Pins) combined to provide the pair with a memorable victory in the feature race at Tauranga on Saturday, the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m). According to loveracing.nz, the Fred and Lindsay Cornege-trained Makfi mare was back to her brilliant best as she defied race favourite Supreme Heights (Jimmy Choux) and a host of talented female rivals to run her down after doing all the donkey work in front on the Heavy11 surface. Pukekohe visitor Sweet Clementine (Sweet Orange) made up good ground to take third; the winner recorded her tenth victory from 39 starts and took her stakes earnings over $270,000. Co-trainer Fred Cornege admitted he was confident of a top performance despite the mare running last at her most recent run at Ellerslie, where she lumped topweight and also suffered significant interference. “I’m always confident but never cocky,” he said. “We knew we were in for a good scrap, but it pays to put a line through that Ellerslie run as she has never really gone any good there. Raced under lease by the Corneges (for the next two months) along with Pat and Sue Calnan, Pop Star Princess is a daughter of Group 2-placed Pins mare Queen Of Pop and comes from an extended family that includes multiple Group 1 winner Volkstok’n’barrell (Tavistock).
