Embellish’s homebred son What You Wish For produced an outstanding return to racing at Taupo. In his four-year-old debut, the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained representative gave his opposition a healthy start and a sound beating at the end of 1300 metres.

“We had confidence but knew that once he gets over further, he will be better,” Te Akau Racing Manager Reece Trumper said. “He’s got an explosive turn of foot as he showed in the Waikato Guineas.”

What You Wish For flew home to finish third in last season’s Group 2 feature over 2000 metres and ended his campaign with a gallant sixth in the G1 New Zealand Derby.

“We’ll take him through the grades quietly and find some nice staying races for him in the future,” Trumper said. He went back to last from a wide gate at Taupo before apprentice Rihaan Goyoram urged him around runners 600 metres from home and the gelding let down powerfully to win going away by 1.8l.

What You Wish For was bought out of our 2022 draft to New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale by Te Akau chief David Ellis for $60,000 and last year secured his half-sister by Savabeel, Wish Come True, for $190,000.

They are out of the Smart Missile mare Grand Wish, who is a half-sister to the G1 Galaxy Handicap winner Griante and the family of the G1 WATC Derby winner Grand Journey.

Grand Wish had a colt by Sword Of State last season and is due to foal again to Embellish.

Joseph Pride couldn’t hide his admiration for Almanzor following an impressive breakthrough success for his son Nosferatu on his home track.The Warwick Farm trainer is a paid-up member of our shuttle stallion’s fan club and is expecting his three-year-old, a graduate of the farm, to reach a decent mark once he steps out over more ground.“He’s a high-quality horse Almanzor, I really like him,” Pride said.Nosferatu was unplaced on debut following mediocre trial results, but those efforts hadn’t changed Pride’s opinion of his charge.“It’s only his second start and he’s a city winner now, he got beaten a furlong in a trial and I said to the connections don’t worry about that,” he said.“He’s taken a bit of time and is a gorgeous, big horse and over time he’ll stretch out over 2000 metres, I’m sure.”Nosferatu drifted back on the fence and when the field fanned out into the straight, the gelding lengthened stride in style along the rail for rider Jay Ford and they were out by two lengths at the end of 1600 metres.Bred by Finemore Thoroughbreds with Peter Maher and Gerry Ryan, he is a son of the English-bred High Chaparral mare Durack and the family of the multiple Group 1 winner and sire Lawman.

Freegoing sprinter-miler Turn The Ace has continued his love affair with Te Rapa with yet another success on the Hamilton course.The son of Turn Me Loose has now won seven races on the track with his latest victory courtesy of a gallant front-running performance over 1600 metres.The five-year-old was quickly into stride for apprentice Donovan Cooper to assume control and cut the corner into the straight and stayed on strongly tenaciously.“He is still a relatively young horse and I think that win puts him level with horses like Spin Doctor and Wordsworth who have also won seven races here,” Forsman said.“There could be another race for him here in early July so we will he having a crack at taking the record on his own, although it will definitely depend on the handicapper as weight will get to him at some stage.”We offered Turn The Ace at Karaka in 2020 on behalf of breeder The Sunlight Trust and he was secured for $30,000 by Forsman, whose parents Steve and Lynne are part of the ownership group.The previous year, we also sold Turn The Ace’s half-brother Here To Shock to Slade Bloodstock, of Victoria, for $70,000 and the son of Shocking’s nine wins feature two at Group 3 level.They are out of the Lonhro mare Frescoes, who is from the family of the Group 1 winners Freemason and Mental.