Aroda Flashes To Stakes Victory In Queensland

New Zealand-bred Group One performer Aroda (NZ) (Art Major) added another stakes win to his tally at Albion Park on Saturday night when taking out the Listed Flashing Red Handicap (2647m).

From his front row draw, the five-year-old son of Art Major was taken straight to the front by driver Trista Dixon, and the pair didn’t relinquish their advantage, with Aroda holding out the late challenge of Free Thinker (Hurrikane Kingcole) to win by a half head.

With the victory, Aroda has now won 16 races, including two at stakes level, and has earned more than A$300,000 in prizemoney.

Bred by Paul and Pauline Renwick, Aroda is out of unraced Christian Cullen mare Adore To Our Dreams, and is a half-brother to seven-time Group One winner Akuta (NZ) (Bettor’s Delight).

Aroda was offered through Broadfield Lodge’s 2021 NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sale draft in Christchurch, but failed to meet his $70,000 reserve.

He subsequently entered the care of Darren Keast, for whom he had four starts as a juvenile in New Zealand before transferring to the care of Grant Dixon in Queensland.

He made an immediate impact in the Sunshine State, winning his Australian debut at Albion Park, and he quickly doubled up two starts later at the Queensland track.

He added a further three wins to his tally before running fourth in the Group One Queensland Derby (2680m).

Aroda continued his rise across the Tasman and last year he broke through for his maiden stakes victory in the Group Two Redcliffe Gold Cup (2613m) and two races later placed in the Group One The Rising Sun (2138m).

He returned to his homeland in November last year for a bid at the Group One New Zealand Trotting Cup (3200m), but failed to fire in the Addington Raceway feature, finishing 10th, a placing he would repeat three days later in the Group One NZ Pacing Free-For-All (1980m).

Aroda returned to winning form last month when victorious over 1660m at Albion Park and has been a model of consistency in his subsequent five appearances, adding two further wins and two placings to his record.

Vendor	Broadfield Lodge
Purchaser	Psd, Res $ 70,000
Owner(s)	GSM Racing Pty Ltd
Breeding	Art Major - Adore To Our Dreams
Sale	2021 National Standardbred Yearling Sale, Christchurch (Psd Res $70,000)
Breeder(s)	P I Renwick, P M Renwick