Friday 4th May’s Chairman’s Sale at Inglis Riverside saw the sale of “NORZITA” to John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud for $1.7m. A poignant moment for DGR she was offered as one of the last core breeding assets of the estate of the Late Dato’ Tan Chin Nam. Sold in foal to Snitzel, Norzita was purchased by DGR for her racing owners Dato’ Tan Chin Nam’s Think Big Stud and Tunku Ahmad’s Westcode Pty Ltd for NZ$200,000 at the 2010 New Zealand Karaka Premier Yearling Sales.

Norzita raced twelve times winning 4 of those occasions including the Group 1 ATC Flight Stakes in the spring of 2012 and the Group 1 ATC Storm Queen Stakes Gr1. She was never unplaced at stakes level, she was first past the post in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes only to lose it in the stewards room and she closed out her three year old career running third in the Group1 ATC Doncaster Stakes to males Sacred Falls & Pierro, who are both now at stud as stallions themselves. This consistent dominant performance saw her crowned 2012/13 Australasian Champion 3yo Filly.

By our records Norzita became at least the fourth Champion 3yo Filly procured by DGR after Danendri, Dashing Eagle & First Seal. Faint Perfume achieved the same accolade, but she was bred in partnership by Dato’ from daughter of the aforementioned Danendri, but will still feel we have our fingerprint on that filly also.

Norzita has started her own breeding career off soundly with her 3yo son Carif winning his maiden in track record time, posting a fourth at Group 2 level in April 2019 at his sixth start with aspirations of better things to come from him. Carif is by our ten time Group 1 winning Champion So You Think who also came from the same sale ring as Norzita, but for NZ$110,000 in 2008.

Norzita’s 2yo called Confidant is at the time of writing unbeaten in two Flemington Jump Out Trials so we at DGR have much to look forward to watching Norzita and be proud about.