Marketplace Gets His Group One Derby Revenge

Marketplace (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) and Got The Chocolates (NZ) (Art Major) have built one of the most exciting rivalries in harness racing, and they took it to another level at Addington Raceway last Friday night.

The pair have gone toe-to-toe throughout their three-year-old season, with Marketplace having the upperhand in the early part of the season, while Got The Chocolates evened the ledger in the second half, winning their last three encounters.

The son of Art Major was favoured to continue his winning ways in the Group One New Zealand Pacing Derby (2600m) on Friday, but Marketplace’s driver Craig Ferguson, who won last year’s Derby behind We Walk By Faith (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight), had other ideas.

Ferguson launched his charge off the mobile arm to take the race by the scruff of the neck upfront. He set a sedate pace, with Got The Chocolates stalking him on the outside. The pair once again entered a duel down the home straight, but this time it was Marketplace who got the upperhand, running out a neck victor.

Marketplace’s trainer and part-owner Regan Todd has had as much joy as anyone watching the two star three-year-olds compete this season, and he was delighted his charge was able to get the final say in the Derby.

“How good for racing that these two go head-to-head?” he said. “It is amazing. In the last month the amount of people that have come up to me and said how much they enjoy watching these two. 

“It is so good to share it with Craig and also racing against Johnny (Dunn, driver), RJ (Robert Dunn, co-trainers) and Jenna (Dunn, co-trainer) too. It is a privilege.

“He hasn’t gone a bad run all prep and you just have to appreciate how good both of them are. I know Got The Chocolates has had the wood on us in the last couple, but even tonight, it was a massive run from him to sit parked and run second.

“I am absolutely rapt.”

Marketplace is out of five-win Christian Cullen mare Cullen Who (NZ) (Christian Cullen), who is also the dam of stakes winner Who’s Delight (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight).

Marketplace was offered through Barron Bloodstock’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred National Yearling Sale draft in Christchurch where he was purchased by Phil and Glenys Kennard for $100,000.

He has now won 11 of his 21 starts and earned more than $920,000 in prizemoney.
 

Vendor	Barron Bloodstock
Purchaser	PI & GJ Kennard Bloodstock Ltd
Owner(s)	Mrs G J Kennard, P I Kennard, P I Baken, Small Car World Ltd, R J Magness, R W Todd
Breeding	Bettor's Delight - Cullen Who
Sale	2023 National Standardbred Yearling Sale, Christchurch ($100,000)
Breeder(s)	G J McKenzie,G W Simon,Mrs M W Simon,T R Barron,A B Clark