Emerging WA star’s dam the result of a ‘free’ service
By Peter Wharton
The Gold Ace gelding Ventura, one of most exciting, young stayers in Western Australia at present and a leading contender for the $50,000 Christmas Gift at Gloucester Park on December 20, is out of a mare who was the product of a ‘free’ service.
Ventura
(c) Pacepix
The mare was Zitura, who was bred and was raced by retired Wellington chartered accountant Mark Law.
“I bought her dam Santa Damiana. She was a Falcon Seelster out of the four-win mare Countess Lugano,” Law said.
“She caught my eye, she was not expensive and I bought her and sent her to John Lischner and Ken Barron to train.”
Unfortunately, Santa Damiana got injured and never raced.
“At the time Nevele R had a new stallion named Union Guy. There was an offer to breed to him free-of-charge with the proviso that if I chose to retain the progeny then I had to pay the service fee,” he said.
The result of the service was Zitura. “Ken Barron had a look at her when she was a foal and told me she was nicely put together and that we should keep her and race her,” Mark said.
“It was one of my best breeding decisions ever.”
Trained by Barron, Zitura won six races and $77,000 as a three and four-year-old in New Zealand.
“She came fifth in the inaugural Jewels for four-year-old mares. She was beaten by three-quarters of a length, a neck, a head and a half head. Ken said that she was a certainty beaten that day. That was her chance for Group 1 glory,” Mark said.
Zitura also finished third in the NZ Oaks to Western Dream and Luckisaladytonight.
She was later sent to Graeme Lang in Victoria and won a further three races including one at Moonee Valley and ended up with a stake tally of $109,391.
“When she returned home I started breeding from her,” Law said. Her first foal was Livura (by Live Or Die).
Mark Law (centre) in Southland following Chitura’s Southern Belle win in 2019
“We raced him here and later received an offer from Nathan Turvey in Perth. He won four here and 19 in WA and $260,000 in stakes,” he said.
Two years later Zitura produced Kitura to the cover of Mach Three. She won once as a three-year-old at Winton and five in WA including two at Gloucester Park.
“I raced her in partnership with Ivy Wong and Nathan has retained her for breeding. We’ve got a yearling colt by Rock N Roll Heaven,” Law stated.
Next to a service to Changeover Zitura left Chitura.
Prepared by West Melton horseman Steven McRae, she won five races before being injured when at the height of her career.
“She showed really good speed. We are now breeding from her. She’s produced a three-year-old colt by Sweet Lou that’s in full work and a Bettor’s Delight yearling filly,” he said.
Ventura (by Gold Ace) was Zitura’s fifth foal and fourth winner. Raced by Law and close friend Steve Luey and trained by Gary Hall Junior, the five-year-old has won 11 races to date – two in NZ and nine in WA – and, at one stage won six races in a row.
Her last offspring, a three-year-old colt by Ultimate Machete named Ultura, has qualified for McRae and is likely to commence racing early in the new year.
At the time of writing, Zitura and her offspring have won a total of 54 races between them – no mean feat!